


The Egocentric & Sunlight

by kisstheloststars



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: AU, Affectionate Insults, Alternate Universe, Canon-Typical Violence, Castles, Comedy, Disguise, Enemies to Friends, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Enemies to Lovers, Eventual Relationships, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, Flowers, Friends to Lovers, Friendship/Love, Holidays, Illnesses, Insults, Kings & Queens, Luggage, M/M, Responsibility, Rivalry, Romance, Romantic Comedy, Romantic Friendship, Royal!Kagehina, Royalty, Servants, Slow Build, Slow Romance, kingdom - Freeform, royal!AU, royalty!au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-08-09
Updated: 2017-05-29
Packaged: 2018-02-12 11:27:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 35,322
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2108091
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kisstheloststars/pseuds/kisstheloststars
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Being 17 years old...and preparing to take the throne at 18...is really tiring..." He breathed out quietly. </p><p>The kingdom of Jikochuu is almost in the soon to be king (but for now prince), Kageyama Tobio's hands. And he's been preparing himself for as long as he can remember. Being pressured and bombarded with responsibility causes the young prince to always be engaged in work or studying, not knowing how to make friends or have fun.</p><p>That is, until Hinata Shouyou, the prince of Himawari No Okoku shows up.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Preparation & Encounters

**Author's Note:**

> Hello there, readers!~ c':
> 
> I would just like to say that this Kagehina Royalty!AU was a fanfiction idea I had proposed on Tumblr, to see that quite a lot of Kagehina shippers liked the idea of! ((This idea sort of grew on me quickly as well ^//^)) So, after I had published the idea, I didn't waste any time in writing up the first chapter because I jUST LOVE ROYALTY.
> 
> I just really loved seeing Kageyama in that crown and cape from the series (((=///ω///=;))), and I was wondering about writing a fanfiction with him as actual royalty, (and fitting Hinata in there somewhere to make it 10x better) but my ideas were jumbled up. However, after toying around with the ideas, and trying to put the pieces together, here it is! ((In my opinion, it's a rather simple plot to be honest u//u;;)) 
> 
> I put quite a lot of thought into this fanfiction, so I hope you all enjoy reading it just as much as I enjoy writing it! ((Pff, the things one of your top OTPs can drive you to do (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:F･ﾟE✧:E･ﾟL✧S

In the kingdom of Jikochuu, dawn had just arrived.

With the sky and its gradient of rose and navy blue becoming prominent as time passed, the scenery was what one would call absolutely captivating.

As the sun progressively rose above the kingdom's border of forest, the elevated mountains beyond seemed like surreal paintings—the type of paintings which depicted them with fading tints; due to the natural course of day, the sunlight had now begun to gracefully slip itself throughout the currently tranquil land's every nook and cranny, telling the royalty and all of the commoners it was time to wake up. The animals within the forest had now begun to drink peacefully from the multiple streams, and the birds were now chirping and singing all sorts of tunes their melodic little voices could, leaving all living things to wake up with a fresh start.

However, in the case of one particular person who was born with a literal shimmering silver spoon in his mouth, and, to say the least, had a major significance within this certain kingdom—in the commoners' cases, a young prince, with an air surrounding him that demanded respect, Prince Kageyama Tobio of Jikochuu couldn't help but think as he woke up that it was going to be an absolutely terrible day.

The prince awoke in his bedchamber, assessing who and where he was; as he gradually sat up in his plush bed with a prolonged groan, his head hung down in both expressions of anger and exhaustion.

He usually started his day off this way; remembering how much work he had completed, how irritated he had gotten due to it, and how much was in store for him the next day.

With the prince pondering around in his thoughts, cursing to himself and muttering subject topics he had spent the day before memorising, a small squeak had caught his attention; the first thought that came to mind was a mouse—vermin carrying disease to be exact— but the boy raised his head towards the doorway in surprise to see that a smartly dressed butler had just entered his room, pushing a shimmering silver food trolley inside, making the exact same noise he had heard just seconds before.

With a wide range of drinks and food the boy could pick from for his royal breakfast, Kageyama could feel his mouth watering as his eyes shone in longing. The butler then closed the door behind him delicately, not daring to make any more noise than he already had to unintentionally trouble the boy.

' _This guy...he waiting for me to wake up whilst listening outside **again**?'_  Kageyama thought with a cocked eyebrow, _'They sure don't waste time..._ '

"Good morning, Young Prince," The butler began humbly, bringing the trolley to a stop by Kageyma's bedside.

Like he thought—this servant's voice always has a slight tremble to it in the mornings.

After stepping away from the trolley, the servant bowed in order to display the difference between himself and the prince when it came to class. It was just the way it worked in Jikochuu.

_In fact, it was just the way it worked in all of the kingdoms._

"I do hope you had a pleasant sleep..." The man added on with genuine sincerity, despite the tremble which still remained in his vocal chords - as he straightened his stance yet again, hands behind his back, the butler didn't dare to break the eye contact he had managed to maintain with the prince, for it would be an abysmal thing to do.

Respecting those superior to you was one of the life lessons every subject had to abide by, after all.

After analysing the butler's mannerisms and facial expression for a few moments with crossed arms, Kageyama turned his head away with a frown, rolling his eyes in the process. He really hated it when the servants tried to make idle chitchat; it was just annoying. He knew it was all out of fear—a cowardly attempt to get on his good side.

"No, I didn't." The prince replied in a mutter, the frown not leaving his face - he then paused for a few moments, before looking over at the butler again with a glare, and continuing in a hostile tone, " _In fact_ ," He spat, "I had a nightmare and couldn't really go to sleep..."

' _So, what now? He's the one who asked such a ridiculous question._ '

"I see. That is most unfortunate Your Highness, I'm terribly sorry!" Was the butler's hurried reply as he bowed down again; the prince could have sworn that, this time, the butler's form was lowered even more so than usual.

' _Of course. Of course he apologises._ '

Kageyama's glares did that to people.

Especially to those below him.

Of course, the young prince was oblivious as to how scary his face truly was; the fact he began to subconsciously frown and pout due to doing it so many times didn't help his case either.

Shaking his head & shrugging his thoughts off, the boy let out an exasperated sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose as he squeezed his eyes shut for a few mere seconds.

"...Don't apologise..." He said groggily, "It was my fault for wanting to test you."

As the butler raised himself with a look of question, Kageyama looked over at the navy blue curtains and drapes with rich golden stitching intensively.

The boy couldn't help but want to yell at the material which couldn't even do its damn job properly.

The sunlight which was slipping through the curtains was beginning to get brighter and brighter, almost to the point of blinding Jikochuu's young prince - well, that's what the prince himself thought, at any rate. Now that Kageyama thought about it, he had a terrible headache this morning (which was nothing new).

"Well then Your Highness, shall I call someone to assist you in changing? Or shall I do it myself?" The butler offered, holding a hand out as the other was placed respectively behind his back - one could see just how well the royal family of Jikochuu took to making sure everything that the servants wore were fitted neatly, and made out of the highest quality material - the butler's silk white gloves were probably worth more than his days earnings.

_'Well, not like it was that much to begin with..'_

Kageyama then blinked for a few moments, registering what the man had said, before shaking his head rigidly - he then began to eye the food trolley by his side.

' _I don't need people offering to touch me with their hands every chance they get...Especially guys...it's...weird..._ ' The young prince thought to himself, feeling rather uncomfortable, ' _Well...I understand it's their job, but..._ ' His thoughts then trailed off back to his breakfast, the scent now wafting throughout his room.

Truly a breakfast befitting for a prince.

"I'm just really hungry.." The boy muttered, now looking over at the butler, "What's the selection to choose from today?" He inquired with a yawn, beginning to release the built up tension in his body, and make a mental note to not forget to change out of both his silk, dark blue button up shirt, and his pyjama trousers which went by the same material and colour.

"Well Your Highness, to drink we have Earl Grey tea - your father's favourite if I may say - coffee made from the freshest coffee beans your mother quotes, along with any fresh fruit juice you wish to have this morning."

"Mmm...." The boy pondered around in his thoughts decisively, holding his chin, "Then, I'll take Earl Grey today. Since I'm in the mood." He concluded simply with a blank expression, proceeding to cross his arms over his chest yet again. 

"A wise choice indeed, Sire."

"I know it's a wise choice...That's why I chose it." The boy informed with a quiet sigh, "What about to eat?" He added on in question, cocking his eyebrow at the man.

"For breakfast itself, we have here poached eggs, toast and jam, pancakes with any cream or topping you desire, sausages, and hash browns."

"Then, pancakes is fine for this morning."

"An excellent decision, Your Highness. You wish to have the usual, am I correct?; Fresh cream and blueberries? Do forgive and correct me if I'm wrong."

"No, no, you got it right. I'll go with that. Thanks."

"No, Your Highness, thank _you_." The butler replied with yet another respective bow.

And not another word was said as the butler began to prepare the young prince's meal.

* * *

After the prince of Jikochuu had finished eating his breakfast (during his meal to have the butler patiently waiting by his bedside, head hanging down low),  the butler then proceeded to place the boy's still seemingly delicious leftovers on the trolley, and push it out of the room.

He then gave a final, worshipping bow before closing the door silently and delicately behind him.

As Kageyama was left alone with his thoughts, he couldn't help but sigh and look over at his bed curtains, which were a shade of dark blue, with golden rope dangling down from the top.

His entire room went by the colour scheme of gold and dark blue. The walls had golden patterns placed on them with a dark blue background, his bed frame was gold with a dark blue mattress, his covers were blue and gold, and everything in his room was just the way he liked it. It had a fairly simple amount of furniture - a golden desk with a mirror to study on, a blue wardrobe for his clothes (worth more than a human head), and a large, dark blue book shelf to place all of the books he kept for studying. That was practically it.

" _Being 17 years old...and preparing to take the throne at 18... **is really tiring**..._ " The prince  breathed out quietly. He didn't know why he had just said that sentence out loud, but something told him that he had to - for the sake of his sanity.

Kageyama had nothing he could even remotely call a passion or hobby. No, he never had the time for such things.

_Although it wasn't always like that._

He was young when his passion and hobbies were taken away from him. In fact, he could remember the day where his father had told him; the day where his captivity began, and he wasn't allowed to have any more freedom to do what he wanted, let alone have any friends. His mother had also begun to shower him in compliments, in order to motivate him, and he could remember what was said on that day word for word.

_"Son, myself and your mother had made you a promise when you were born. I think now is the time to start preparing, in order to make that promise come true."_

_"From now on you will be preparing to take the throne when you turn 18. I, the king, will retire, and you will rule in my stead."_

_"You will make a wonderful king, Tobio. I just know it. You're a very smart boy. It's mother's intuition."_

' _On that day..I didn't say anything...I didn't shout at them, or run away, or tell them I wasn't ready. And I never have. In fact, I thought it was for the best. So, on that day, I just gave a nod and began to study...and over 12 years later, here I am. I'm in too deep to get out of it now. At the beginning, I could have gotten out of all of these years of studying if I had told them I wasn't ready. They might have listened. I could have gotten out of all of this pressure and responsibility I keep on getting bombarded with. I could have gotten out of the practice speeches, the strategizing, the athletic training, the memorising, and.._ '

The young prince's heart had jolted at the last responsibility he had.

In the silence, he couldn't help but bring his knees to his chest and hug them tightly.

" ** _Looking for a girl to marry..._** " He muttered to himself in despair.

'..." _It's a must do!", huh?..._ ' Kageyama thought in exhaustion, quoting his mother, looking down at his bed covers, " ** _In less than a year, I'll be married...whether I like it or not.._** "

After a few more moments of deafening silence, the boy couldn't help but make a disgustedly sour expression.

It was indeed a fact that Kageyama Tobio had absolutely no experience when it came to girls or marriage.

He was focusing on becoming the best king he possibly could for the kingdom of Jikochuu - so just  _how_ exactly did his parents expect him to find _the one_ in the short amount of time he had? And he certainly couldn't marry a commoner; it was against the rules. There were boundaries. _It had to be a princess._

However, due to the alliances his kingdom had formed, studying all of the royal families his family were namely close with made him pick out a few girls he could ask to get to know better.

And if he was lucky, _the one_ would just so happen to be among them, and he could quickly swipe her up off of her feet, and make her his queen.

Of course, he was also studying all about the kingdoms that had formed an alliance with his recently, as well as their background and history. It was to be expected of the future king. Studying was everything to him at the current moment.

' _December 22nd, my 17th birthday; I was studying. December 31st, New Years Eve; studying. January 1st, New Years Day; still studying. And right now, January 10th; I need to get up and study.._ ' He grunted as he closed his eyes, ' _I have exactly 11 months and 12 days of freedom left before I have even more responsibility thrown at my face..._ '

Kageyama couldn't help but open his eyes and laugh bitterly at the sarcastic use of the word 'freedom' in his thoughts.

" _.."Freedom", huh?_  " He said aloud, before ruffling his hair in agitation, causing his bed head to become unpleasant to look at.

 _'Mother and father said that my crowning will take place on my birthday, the exact day I turn 18...not to mention the wedding too...fitting all 3 celebrations into one day is going to be difficult to handle...and the honeymoon, too..._ '

The boy then threw his entire body back to sleep on his bed again with a small, almost inaudible creak.

_'Just what...is fun, anyway?'_

* * *

" _Shouyou! Stop that this instant!_ You're 16 years old, and you're meant to be a prince! **_Royalty!_** "

A shrill voice had spoken out in a particular carriage which was being pulled along by two brown horses with elegant features.

The carriage's wheels were made from the finest, richest gold there was, and with patterns of gold placed on the ebony invention (as well as an authentic painted sunflower crest), it stood out all the more, telling the commoners who turned their heads around to stare at it in awe that a family of great wealth, importance, and royalty were sat inside.

As the carriage was guided along the dry, almost grass-covered road, many would greet the coachman sat in the miniature coach box designated for himself, dressed in his usual suit, to which he would tip his top hat.

The coach had now begun to move from side to side, due to the fact that the surface was uneven, compared to when it had first set off.

" _But it's a habit!_ " Another voice replied with an extended, child-like whine.

This particular voice belonged to a member of the royal family who was relatively short for his age, and went by the name of Hinata Shouyou, the young prince of Himawari No Okoku.

"A disgusting habit!" The boy's mother, the queen of Himawari No Okoku, retorted with a stern expression, her arms folded, "Now stop it this instant before I drag you along on this holiday!" She threatened, fixing her crown which seemed to be slipping off of her head.

The queen of Himawari No Okoku was a kind, warm-hearted woman to all, but due to her son and his difficult tendencies of not being all that keen on leaving their kingdom, she wasn't particularly in the best of moods today - well, towards him, at least.

The young prince's jaw then dropped as he jumped up in the carriage, only to hit his head on the low roof, squawking out in pain - rubbing his chaotically beautiful orange hair with silent winces, Hinata looked over at his father, the king, hoping to get some backup on how unfair his wife's threat was.

His father merely shook his head in reply, his hair (just slightly darker than his son's) moving side to side.

Despite the small smile which was plastered on the king's friendly face, Hinata realised that his father was telepathically telling him that he had to let it go, and admit defeat this time.

"Alright, alright! Geez!" The boy pouted, sitting back down in his seat, continuing to softly rub where his head had hit the carriage roof.

With a roll of his eyes, and a quiet kiss of his teeth, his mother instantly shot him a look of disapproval, causing him to jolt in fear.

" _Honestly!_ " His mother sighed out after a few seconds.

Hinata then sighed and looked out of the carriage window by his side, hand on his cheek, as his elbow rested on the edge.

"Nothing but trees.." He muttered, clearly annoyed at how long the journey was taking.

However, if he were to ask how long until they reached their destination, his mother would tell him how _'a prince should quietly and patiently wait'_ , and how _'he should be glad he's part of a royal family, in order to afford a grand carriage like this one' -_ not to mention the _'stop acting so spoilt!'_ , which he didn't want to hear any longer.

It seemed that, to his mother, bringing up the fact that they're royalty is _absolutely necessary and inevitable_.

That was when the boy was snapped out of his thoughts by a snigger.

With a frown, he turned his head to look over at his little sister sat by his side, clearly taunting him.

At the age of 6, the girl had a rather petite figure, and wore a light pink, puffy dress, designed with shimmering diamonds.

She even wore a tiara on her head before they set off, but she took it off midway through the journey.

It was now in her lap - if any thieves were on the road, and had seen such a thing through the carriage window as they passed by, they would have attempted to chase after the carriage and steal it for sure.

" _Shut up, Natsu!_ "

"What?! I didn't do anything!"

"You're laughing at me!"

"Yeah 'cause you hit your head! Not 'cause mother scolded you! _So who's the real idiot now?_ "

"T-T.... ** _Whatever!_** "

" _Hehe!_ "

"Natsu, sweetie, what did I say about fixing the way you speak?" The queen interjected with a smile, making sure her tone was loving and soft towards her daughter.

Typical - it was always the younger kid who was showered with love - especially if they were a princess.

Not that Hinata harboured a grudge against Natsu for that reason, but the prince would be lying if he said he wasn't jealous of his little sister when she was born.

Not any more, of course, since he _was_  16 years old and had _far_ more important things to worry about.

"... _'I was projecting my laughter due to the fact that your head had made an unfortunate collision with the carriage roof_ '?" Natsu suggested with a bored expression, one eyebrow cocked, only to have her mother squeal in delight.

The king couldn't help but let out a breathy laugh as he tilted his head.

"Good girl! You're an absolutely marvellous princess!" Her mother praised with a bright enthusiasm, clapping her hands, "And I'm sure you will make a most magnificent queen! Any prince will be lucky to have you!"

" _ **Bleh!** Eww.._ " Natsu closed one of her eyes, sticking her tongue out in disgust.

Hinata then couldn't help but laugh lovingly, and ruffle his little sister's hair.

"H-Hey, big bro! Stop that! It took ages for the maids to style my hair!"

"Hah, really? It looks like the same wildly messy orange hair to me!" Hinata teased with a grin, still ruffling Natsu's hair, only to receive a pout and frown from her, "So, Mother!" Hinata began, letting go of the girl's hair, " _This prince!_ Tell me about 'im! What's he like?" He asked with a beam, smiling as his hazel eyes gleamed with curiosity.

' _Since I'm going to be living with the guy, might as well know what he's like beforehand from Mother..._ ' The boy thought to himself in ambition - that way, he'd be prepared for whoever it was.

The queen shot her son a slight look of disapproval at his language choice, before sighing out, and holding her chin in thought.

"Well..." She began, glancing to the side, "If I remember correctly, his name is Kageyama Tobio." She informed, "Your father and I haven't met the boy in person yet, but his mother says that he's a very..." She paused yet again, "... _'Down to earth son, who is extremely intelligent'_.." She added on in calm explanation, now smiling slightly.

" _Oh!_ " Hinata beamed, "He sounds alright!"

_'Down to earth, huh? Must mean he lives every moment to the fullest, then! Perfect!'_

"But it's very impressive! His mother says that herself and her husband are preparing him to take the throne when he turns 18 next year! He must be a very gifted boy if they're giving him the throne that soon!" The queen began, looking over lovingly at her husband, "They've even invited us to his crowning next year!" She added on, before clasping her hands together, "Oh, I'm so happy we've formed an alliance with them! His mother is just lovely! We've become best friends through our letters!" She exclaimed with a swoon.

"It's a good thing we invited them on this holiday then." The king replied with a smile.

" _Indeed!_ "

* * *

Kageyama growled in discontent as he was sat at the golden desk residing in his room. He crossed his legs as he held his pencil in hand (made from the finest graphite there was), almost beginning to chew the end of it.

" _Tch! Damn it!_ " He snapped, quickly withdrawing his pencil near his mouth, and chucking it on the desk with a frown; like he thought, concentrating on his work was becoming a more prominent problem.

Well, it was only a matter of time until his concentration would deteriorate, but when he could sense his crucial tests were right around the corner? He just _couldn't_ slack off.

" _C'mon, c'mon! Concentrate! You're going to be the king in less than a year! Stop putting it off and study! Memorize!_ " He muttered to himself as he leaned over his desk, his head hanging down, and his hair being grabbed by both of his fists, the boy making sure he gave himself a good scolding.

After a while of intense mutters and growls, the prince then breathed in deeply, and exhaled at a rapid speed, rolling his button up shirt's sleeves, right up to his elbows.

With a frown of determination, the boy then folded his arms over his chest, and peered down at the work set out in front of him.

' _Alright, let's start..._ '

"Let's see..." The boy began muttering quietly, reading from the yellow hardback book, which had a sunflower crest on the front cover:

**_A History of Himawari No Okoku_ **

**_Ittetsu Takeda_ **

_Over 35 years ago, Himawari No Okoku was under the reign of one man: Hinata XXXX._

_During his reign, the kingdom grew to develop tension between other kingdoms, due to XXXX's desire of land and power. However, his army was small, unstable, and so, the only power he had was over his kingdom. XXXX then abused that power through the rules and regulations he created, which commoners didn't wish to abide by._

_There was torture and suffering everywhere because of the soldiers at his command, after witnessing the commoners who would disobey his rules, or disagree with his way of ruling. Many of the commoners in the kingdom, after seeing the soldiers make a mess of countless lives, feared for their own - and so, having no choice, they betrayed their friends and loved ones to join the king's army for guaranteed safety._

_With the notorious Iron Wall surrounding the entire kingdom, due to Himawari No Okoku's alliance with Datekougyou, not many commoners could escape - if they were caught escaping, they would be tortured and killed. _

_A group of particular civilians who wished to put a stop to XXXX's ruling called themselves "The Sunflower Moths"._

_After many meetings, and over a month of planning and strategizing, the group decided to sneak into the castle where the king resided, and steal weapons, in order to make a counter-attack._

_After a successful robbery, they shot the king in his sleep. The group then made a bargain with the queen of the kingdom; they would let her and her son, the prince, live under the condition that she retired (to which she agreed)._

_Not long after XXXX's death, everything became better. The tension between Himawari No Okoku and the other kingdoms had disappeared._

_The ex-queen eventually passed away, and The Sunflower Moths decided to rule the kingdom together until the prince had come of age, as they took him in as a son after his mother's death._

Kageyama couldn't help but whistle, rather impressed. It was quite a descriptive book.

"Anyway, let's see..profiles, profiles..." Kageyama muttered, walking over to his bookshelf and quickly picking out a thin, yellow textbook, that also had a sunflower crest on the front cover.

After grabbing it casually, he sat back down and opened it up, his hand on his cheek, elbow resting on the desk. He flicked through a couple of pages, and read a particular page:

**_Himawari No Okoku Profiles_ **

**_Ittetsu Takeda_ **

_Hinata XXXX_

_The offspring of Hinata XXXX and Hinata XXXX (née XXXX)._

_He was the prince of Himawari No Okoku, and was taken in by The Sunflower Moths as a son after the passing of his mother._

_He believes that The Sunflower Moths were a group of legendary heroes, and did the right thing by killing his father. Soldiers speculated whether or not they should imprison The Sunflower Moths after the death of XXXX. However, his mother told them not to, and that the entire army was to disband, for she gave up the throne._

_Now the current king of Himawari No Okoku, he_ _is a man of few words, but many love the way he rules over the country - due to this, Himawari No Okoku has formed more alliances than ever before, and is growing to become a powerful kingdom, with a strong army._

 _The Hinata family are namely close with the royal families of Nekoma, Fukurodani,_ _and Datekougyou, having been in an alliance with them for a long time._

_The king's wife is Hinata XXXX (née XXXX)._

_At the moment, the queen and His Highness have two children; the prince of Himawari No Okoku, Hinata Shouyou, and the princess of Himawari No Okoku, Hinata Natsu._

_The royal Hinata children stand out from the rest of royalty throughout all of the kingdoms for their beautifully distinguishable orange hair, as well as hazel eyes._

After Kageyama had finished reading the page, he let out a sigh.

"Good to know we formed a recent alliance with a king that could turn out just as crazed as his father.." He muttered sarcastically.

The young prince himself knew that he wasn't very trusting towards a person with a damaged past.

' _Well, that's about all I have on this king. But I need more information, and this book isn't really helping..._ ' The boy thought to himself with a frown, closing the textbook and standing up, ' _I'd better go to the library downstairs and look for more to use for studying.._ '

He then looked over at the door, then back down at the textbook, before deciding to pick it up.

_'And I might as well read about the rest of the Hinata family..since I might meet them pretty soon. My family and theirs did form an alliance after all..It's only necessary.'_

* * *

" _Shouyou....hey, Shouyou!_ "

"Hmm? _What..?_ "

" _Wake up, we're almost there!_ "

After hearing the last three words he had wanted to hear ever so desperately since the moment himself and his family set off for the kingdom of Jikochuu, Hinata rapidly sat up straight and turned his body around, pressing his face against the carriage window's glass to see where they were, and if the kingdom was in sight. With his eyes reflecting everything in sight, he was undoubtedly impressed, due to his squawking.

" _Ooh!_ Finally, finally! I can't wait!" The boy beamed in excitement, "Look, Natsu! We can see the castle! Woah, the kingdom is huge!" He gasped in utter awe, looking over at his sister with a bright smile.

The young princess, however, returned a frown as her arms were folded in an irritated manner, her tiara now on her head in preparation for getting off.

"Geez! Big bro, you're too noisy!" Natsu complained with a pout. She sounded just like their mother when she wanted to, causing Hinata to roll his eyes and turn his head back around to admire the view outside of the window. 

"Now, now, you two, just enjoy the view together! As brother and sister!" Their father urged softly with a smile.

"Yeah, Natsu!" The young prince teased, sticking his tongue out, only to have Natsu do the same back.

" ** _Bleeehhh!_** "

"Pff, why you--" Hinata grabbed his little sister's cheeks and began to pull on them, " _Totally not cute at all!_ " He said with a grin.

"Ow, lemme go! You stupid big bro!"

"Both of you, stop this behaviour at once! We're in a kingdom where we must display just how much honour and class we have!" Their mother intervened impatiently.

Hinata couldn't help but let go of his sister's cheeks with a roll of his eyes, letting out a small sigh.

"...More like how much class we _don't_ have.." Natsu whispered behind her hand, causing Hinata to break down into sniggers, clutching his stomach and waving his hand.

" _I-idiot, stop it! Be quiet!_ "

"Heheh, _'We must have class and honour!'_ " Natsu began to break down into giggles too as she impersonated her mother, doing the highest pitch her voice possibly could.

The two ended up laughing and giggling for quite a while.

* * *

_Hinata Shouyou is the prince of Himawari No Okoku at the current moment, and is the offspring of Hinata XXXX, as well as Hinata XXXX._

_With wild, unkempt orange hair, as well as hazel eyes, the boy stands out from the rest of royalty throughout all of the kingdoms (along with his young sister, Hinata Natsu). The young prince at the current moment has a height of 162.8 cm, and is currently 16 years old._

' _Uwah---so short!_ ' 

As the prince walked through the halls of his family's spacious castle with a frown of concentration, looking down and reading the yellow textbook held in his hands, he was hoping to reach the downstairs library relatively soon.

The halls the boy walked through were reasonably dim, as the many large, dark blue curtains he walked past were closed, and blocking out most of the sunlight which couldn't manage to sneak its way in. The flooring was chequered black and white, made of extremely rare and reflective marble which could only be obtained by the richest of royalty; it was almost like delicate glass, and had an extended red carpet over it for people to walk on. The halls were decorated with numerous flowers that the servants were ordered to change everyday at the queen of Jikochuu's command, as well as multiple golden chandeliers made from the finest jewels. There were also expensive vases, statues which started off as a block of marble and chipped away at by well known historical figures, and portrait paintings of the Kageyama family's ancestors.

Suddenly, Jikochuu's young prince found himself bumped into by a figure just slightly shorter than him, which caused the yellow textbook to fall on the floor.

" _Ah._ " Kageyama couldn't help but say in monotone as he stared down at his studying material.

" _Oh my!_ " A voice squeaked in a hint of shock.

The young prince then looked up from the textbook which lay on the ground; clearly it was a servant boy stood in front of him from the way he dressed, with his sleeves rolled up to his elbows - with the white button up shirt he wore (the two top buttons being stereotypically undone), the servant seemed to be at least a few years older, despite him being shorter than the prince. With lightly coloured grey hair, the boy also had a distinguishable mole on his face, near his left eye. There was also the fact he wore black suspenders, making his common-folk look all the more apparent.

Kageyama blinked a few times at the servant who had begun to bow up and down repeatedly at a rapid speed whilst apologizing.

" _Ah, Your Highness! I'm truly, terribly sorry! It was my fault, not watching where I was going---bumping into people---and into the prince himself! Please do forgive me!_ " 

"It's fine." Kageyama replied with a mere shrug, making sure to keep a neutral expression on his face; he could tell that this servant was the cowardly type, but much more so in comparison to the rest.

It seemed to Kageyama, that no matter where he went, people were constantly apologising to him and insisting they had done something wrong, no matter how small the wrong was.

It angered him.

However, the young prince had to admit that comparing _this boy_ to the rest of those who apologised to him, there was a somewhat soothing and charming air about him. He seemed like a very calm and supporting person, even when panicking; his entire demeanour intrigued Kageyama enough to not reveal a frown and pout on his face, as hard as it was to believe.

After a while of the servant going on and on about how sorry he was, Kageyama let out a sigh, placing a hand in his pocket, head tilted slightly.

"You. What's your name?" The prince asked simply, interrupting the servant's panicking, and pointing at him with his other hand.

"Oh--uh...Su--" The servant stopped abruptly, before breathing in with his eyes closed, " _I'm Sugawara Koushi, sire._ " The servant replied, straightening his stance as his hands were placed respectfully behind his back, " _At your service._ "

Kageyama examined the elder boy for a few seconds, eyes seeming to pierce through with his concentrated stare.

"Well, Sugawara-San, now that you've calmed down, could you pick my book up? Since you did make me drop it." Kageyama replied in reminder, looking down at the floor yet again.

"Oh my!--Of course, your grace! Right at once." Sugawara squeaked, instantly crouching down and picking the textbook up - he then paused, blinking in surprise, "Huh?...This is..."

Kageyama blinked in question at Sugawara, seeing the boy had stood up, holding the textbook out to him.

"...May I ask what you're reading, Your Highness?" The servant boy asked gently with a smile, extending the book out in front of Kageyama, which took the prince aback - immensely so, as he had tensed up and raised his shoulders.

"...I-it's just some studying material..." Kageyama replied, "I--uh--I'm looking up the Hinata family..." He informed, about to take it from Sugawara's hands.

"Oh, I see! Uh--Uhm...M-May I...?"

Kageyama blinked in surprise.

"Y-yeah, you can read it.." The prince gave a simple nod, retracting his hand from the textbook, and letting the servant boy open its pages.

_'This is the first time....what a strange guy.'_

"... _'Hinata Shouyou'_ \---"

"But this book isn't that great..." Kageyama interrupted, complaining with a pout as Sugawara decided to read the certain page in his head, not wanting to anger the prince if he read it aloud, "It's giving you facts about this Hinata Shouyou which could change; like his height and age for instance. I mean, it's not going to be useful information to those who read it in 10 years for studying, is it?" The prince spat, irritation lingering in his voice.

Sugawara's eyes then lit up, which Kageyama had noticed relatively quickly.

"Oh, I see! This must be your first time reading a book under a magic spell, Sire!" Sugawara pointed out with a smile, closing the book, "Although I've never read one either!"

"..' _A magic spell_ '..?" The prince repeated slowly, raising an eyebrow, "There's such a thing?" He asked with folded arms - as if he could believe such a thing.

After a few moments of having Sugawara stare at him whilst blinking in stupefaction, Kageyama parted his lips and squinted his eyes after witnessing the slightly shorter guy erupt into soft laughter, practically glowing.

"....What's so funny...?" Kageyama asked cautiously.

"N-No, Your Highness, I mean, it's just---pft!" Sugawara couldn't help the influx of laughter, "I can't believe you actually believed me!"

" _Hah?_ What on earth are you talking about?"

"The book, Your Highness - it's not _really_ under a magic spell," Sugawara replied, "It's merely relevant to what people need to study in today's day and age!" He informed, holding an index finger up, "That's why it was written like that! Most of the updated information can just be republished, after all!"

"...I see..." Kageyama nodded his head repeatedly with his eyes closed, arms folded, "That's pretty impressive." He commented, before gazing at Sugawara blankly.

"Yes!" The servant beamed.

"But just so you know, I didn't believe you." Kageyama informed flatly, causing the elder servant to let out a breathy laugh, scratching the back of his head sheepishly.

"W-well, regardless of whether the book was under a magic spell or not, it's very expensive for a mere commoner like me to read a book like this, let alone touch one..." 

After Sugawara's laughter faded into silence, the prince spoke up.

"...You can have that textbook if you want." Kageyama blinked, his expression still blank.

Sugawara froze up, before blinking a couple of times in realisation.

"... ** _REALLY?!_** " The boy asked, bug-eyed, as his jaw hung open.

"Yeah," Kageyama said with a nod, "Myself and Father employed a book-buyer to buy nothing but top quality books from other kingdoms for the library - I usually go to the library and just take whatever books I need for studying material. So you can have that." He informed with a shrug, "And if anyone accuses you of stealing it, bring them to me and I'll sort them out. I'm pretty sure there are more books related to the Hinata family, anyway. So that's why I'm heading to the library right now." He added on, before pausing, "But I really need something like a biography on Hinata XXXX, which is _obviously_ under a magical spell....o...one's been published, right?" The prince questioned, rather nervous about whether or not Sugawara would get his attempt at humour.

The servant couldn't help but grin as he gave a quick nod, and pressed the yellow textbook against his chest.

"Indeed, Your Highness! There is a published book like that!" The boy beamed with a laugh, before sighing out in relief, "Thank you very much for your kindness!" He added on in a mere stutter, his face radiating as he bowed down before the prince.

"Uh-huh." Kageyama replied with a simple nod.

He then began to walk past the servant and make his way - Sugawara, who also began to walk away, was humming happily. 

And just as the prince was about to walk down the stairs...

" _Ah._ "

The memory had reached.

Kageyama then turned his head around.

"Sugawara-san," He called out, causing the servant boy who was walking off to stop dead in his tracks, and turn his head in fear of the prince stating he had done something wrong.

"Y-yes, Your Highness...?" The boy called back in question, half trembling, half curious.

" ** _King Daichi sends his regards._** " Kageyama said in monotone.

For a split second, Kageyama could have sworn he saw the servant boy's face redden as his eyes widened, and his mouth had parted ever so slightly.

" _Ah....uh.._ " The boy was left stuttering, and bowed down violently before turning on his heel and dashing away quickly.

The prince then shrugged and began to walk down the stairs.

" _Whatever, none of my business."_ He muttered with a frown and pout.

_'Still, I knew the surname "Sugawara" sounded familiar..Daichi-san told me he works here for my family...I wonder how someone of low class like him knows a king like Daichi-san...'_

* * *

After descending from the grand, marble staircase which had red carpet on it, the young prince of Jikochuu's movements came to a halt after his name was called out informally by a high pitched, feminine voice.

" _Oh, Tobio! You're on your way to the library? That's perfect timing! Can you come and help me out with these bags before you go to study?_ "  
  
With a frown, thinking it was a servant girl with enough nerve to talk to him like that, Kageyama turned his head around, glaring.

And after processing who it was, the boy recognised it was his mother stood on the stairs, the queen, and he turned his body around, releasing his frown, and softening his gaze.  
  
The queen of Jikochuu was a woman with long and extremely neat coal-black hair, also having a fringe bearing an uncanny resemblance to her son's - a fringe that hung just above their dark blue eyes. For today, she wore a silk, strapless navy blue gown, shimmering diamonds aligned neatly on the bodice, managing to show off her slender physique.

Kageyama then noticed how multiple servants were carrying heavy looking, berry blue coloured suitcases with their golden family crest printed onto them, walking past her Highness, down the stairs, past the Young Prince, and out of the castle doors just opposite the staircase.  
  
"You can tell I'm busy, mother. Can't you just get our servants to do it?" Kageyama asked, raising an eyebrow suspiciously as he crossed his arms, "It's not like we're paying them to do nothing. We have plenty of them to help you.." He reminded.  
  
"I know, but..." The woman stopped her sentence midway and giggled rather nervously, "Oh, come on, Tobio! Please?" She pleaded, walking down the staircase as she clasped her hands together which wore navy blue, silk gloves.  
  
"Why me specifically?" The boy inquired casually in monotone.

His mother, now stood in front of him, began to make intense eye contact - Kageyama did the same back at her, the queen being a few centimetres shorter compared to her son.  
  
"Oh, alright!" She said in distress after a while, throwing her hands up in agitation, admitting defeat, "You won't be seeing your father and I for quite a while." She announced.

Kageyama blinked for a few moments, before recoiling on shock, frowning.

"What?! _Why?_ " He asked in confusion, wanting a further and more detailed explanation.

This was sudden - sure, he hardly saw his parents due to the fact he had to study, and they were busy ruling over the kingdom together, but out of the blue? _Did they even intend to tell him unless he had asked?_  
  
" _Something has come up in one of the kingdoms we formed an alliance with, and we both need to head out as soon as possible, Tobio. I'm sure you'd like to see us off, wouldn't you?_ "  
  
Kageyama turned around to face the castle doors with a frown after hearing a different voice, his mother peeping behind him.  
  
"Oh, father.." The boy's facial expression softened.  
  
"Right? That's exactly what I was going to tell our son just now!" The queen beamed, skipping to her husband's side and kissing his cheek, only to have the king daydream and redden in the face.

Kageyama's face could only sour at the 'disgusting' sight, before the thought had struck, causing him to shiver.

' _Although that's going to be me and my future wife one day..._ ' 

The boy then grumbled in discontent and scratched his head.

"Alright, alright. I'll help." He concluded with a frown and pout, "But you two must understand that you're making me lose precious studying time."  
  
"Keep it up, son. Also, while we're gone, make sure to work even harder than usual. I've arranged for you to have a couple of tests when we come back with the top examiner in all of the kingdoms. The tests will last for three weeks. The exact amount of time your mother and I are gone." His father informed, "The messenger boy will come by later on today to deliver what you have to revise."

"We're doing this for your own good, Tobio." His mother added on, "We're putting time and effort into your education and preparation! So you can't fail. It's out of the question. So make sure to always give it your absolute one hundred percent."  
  
"I know. I won't fail." Kageyama replied with a nod after examining the two, his facial expression blank.  
  
"Since you're on your way to the library, that means the books bought weren't good, right? Geez, I keep on telling you and your father to fire that book-buyer, and go buy everything you need yourselves!" The queen scolded, hands on her hips.  
  
"It's a long journey to multiple kingdoms." Kageyama replied, "I'm thinking of researching new books, and getting the list-writer to give all of the material to the book-buyer next time."   
  
"I see." The Queen nodded, causing Kageyama to twitch his eye in irritation, and end up frowning, "Well, he'll probably be here soon, so shall we all get going, dear?" She asked, clinging to her husband's arm with a smile.  
  
"Huh? _'He'?_ " Kageyama questioned his mother's wording, blinking at her curiously.  
  
"Eh? Oh...er.."   
  
"We forgot to add on, but someone else will live with you and the servants at the castle in order to keep an eye on you." The king informed calmly, looking at his son who stood quite a distance from himself and his wife, "They're bringing their carriage along, so it can take us where we want to go, which is awfully kind of them.."  
  
"Oh. So it's a home tutor for my revision, right? I'm fine with that." Kageyama concluded in reply.  
  
"Not r---"

The king was then nudged in the rib by his wife, who kept her bright smile on display.  
  
"Now, now! Let's go! Hurry up and take those bags that servant has, Tobio! That's the last batch!" The queen ordered, pushing her husband out of the castle at a rapid pace.  
  
Kageyama did as he was told and snatched the bags out of a particular servant's hands as he was making his way down the stairs.  
  
"Here, I'll take these."  
  
"I--I'm awfully sorry, Your Highness!" The servant cried out in a panic, bowing up and down violently.  
  
"Nothing for you to apologize about. Now go back to doing whatever you were before my mother interrupted you." Kageyama ordered, frowning and pouting at the servant.

"Y-Yes, as you command, Your Grace!" The servant bowed down yet again and promptly made his way to where the royal kitchens were.  
  
After seeing the servant had gone, and the other servants had come back after dropping the luggage off at the castle gates, Kageyama sighed.  
  
"This better be worth my time.." He muttered to himself as he stomped out of the castle with a pout, pondering in multiple theories as to why his parents were acting so suspicious.

Eventually, he had approached his destination to see his mother repeatedly asking his father what the time was, and when the carriage would arrive.

Two white pillars made of marble were apart from each other at a respectable distance as the tall gate, which loomed over any person who stood before it, was fitted in between. The obsidian gate had patterns designed all over it, and at the top was the Kageyama family's crest. The gate's rails then extended all around the patch of land the Kageyama's owned.

 _'I wonder what the home tutor is like..'_ Kageyama thought to himself as he stared into space.

After placing the bags he had carried down, next to the rest of the luggage his mother thought necessary to take along, he pouted.

" _OH, HERE IT IS! HERE'S THE CARRIAGE! OPEN THE GATES!_ "

The queen squealed in delight, ordering the servants stood on the other side to pull the gates open.  
  
Kageyama snapped out of his daze to see two caramel-coloured horses pulling along a midnight carriage with golden patterns all over it towards the gates. The carriage seemed grand from the bottom to the top, with wheels made of what seemed like rich, authentic gold.  
  
' _There's no way a home tutor can afford a grand carriage like this.._ ' Kageyama thought to himself with a confused frown, ' _Even if he worked for forty years...Unless he was royalty himself.._ '  
  
The carriage then came to a halt after coming onto the Kageyama's land, and the coachman lifted his top hat as a mark of respect.  
  
"Good day to you." He greeted with a smile.  
  
Kageyama's mother and father returned the smile, his mother curtseying. She then eagerly waited for the carriage door to open, clinging to her husband's arm yet again, and a mischievous grin suddenly spread across her face.

After inspecting the carriage and every little detail about it, Kageyama noticed a sunflower crest was placed on the invention similar to the one on his books which he used for studying.  
  
"Mother, father..." Kageyama began cautiously, " _That sunflower crest..._ "  
  
Suddenly, the carriage door burst open, causing the Kageyama family to jump back slightly in awe.

" _Oh my!_ " The queen squeaked.  
  
After approaching the carriage ever so slightly to see who was inside, Kageyama swore he could see it all in slow motion.  
  
" ** _WE'RE FINALLY HERE!_** " A voice yelled out.  
  
A certain boy had jumped out of the carriage; all too enthusiastically at that. With chaotically unkempt hair which was the colour of pure orange, he clearly stood out from commoners.

The boy wore a bright, plain yellow jumper - with a white button up shirt, and black, knee-length shorts, a few plasters were visible on both of his bare legs.  
  
After the boy had made the 'perfect' landing, he had somehow managed to trip and fall to the floor, leaving a silence between the Kageyama's, and the rest of the Hinata's, who had just stepped out of the carriage..  
  
' _H-Hinata Shouyou..._ '


	2. Hide And Seek And List

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello there, dear readers!~ c':
> 
> Wow, I would just like to say thank you so much to the awesome readers for the amazing comments that I got so quickly after my upload yesterday (likeseriouslythankyousomuch<3.)  
> I actually managed to somewhat overcome my writers block thanks to all of your kind, supporting, sweet comments!

" _My, what a splendid kingdom! It is an absolute honour to be here!_ Look, dear! They have multiple fountains on their castle grounds! Oh, it's just  _marvellous_!"  
  
"Indeed it is, my dear."  
  
The queen of Himawari No Okoku began to look all around her in exhilaration, stepping over her son's body which still had not risen after tripping over, her husband behind her as he had a faint smile on his face.

After a while, however, the queen was left with no choice but to notice her son's presence.  
  
“Geez! Shouyou, get up this instant! You’re embarrassing our family name!” She tried to whisper as discreetly as she could in an irritated and bossy tone, looking down at her son with a slight frown - as she held a bumblebee-coloured hand fan (with a sunflower crest printed on either sides of it) in front of her mouth, it proved useful when wanting to stay discreet - although the Kageyama family were far smarter than most.  
  
' _That's the queen of Himawari No Okoku...And behind her is the King of Himawari No Okoku..._ '  
  
"Wow, it's so big! Get up Big Bro, get up and look! _You're so lucky!_ " Natsu beamed as she crouched down in front of her brother, shaking his shoulder vigorously.  
  
' _And the little girl must be Hinata Shouyou's little sister, the princess...Hinata Natsu..._ _W_ _ait.."Big bro, you're so lucky"?..._ '  
  
Kageyama Tobio inspected the family that had just emerged from the ebony carriage, his eyes squinted and his mouth open, looking at them as his facial expression practically screamed the questions  _'what the hell are they doing?_ ', and _'what the hell is going on?'_.

Abruptly, the two queens had begun to greet the other in utter bliss, excitedly holding hands.  
  
' _What the hell? They're acting like they're best friends...and they've only met once...Just to sign the pact...to form the alliance.._ ' Kageyama thought to himself with a frown as he crossed his arms, wondering why the Hinata family had shown up all of a sudden.

It took him by surprise, he wasn't going to lie - what were the chances he'd meet the people he was studying at the current moment?  
  
From what Kageyama could see, the king and his father had exchanged friendly greetings, both of them smiling at each other.

The boy's eyes then travelled back down at Hinata Shouyou, who was still being shook vigorously by his little sister, who kept on repeatedly whining for him to get up off the floor.  
  
' _A graceful entry indeed.._ ' Kageyama thought to himself sarcastically through squinted eyes, the frown not leaving his face.

However, his knitted eyebrows soon undid themselves and rose in surprise after seeing the boy on the floor before him jump up swiftly.  
  
" _Oh!_ " Natsu squeaked in horror and quickly stood up, running behind her mother for protection.

After a few moments, however, Natsu had forgotten about the shock, and had begun speaking to the queen, who crouched down in order to be on the same eye level as her, causing Kageyama's mother to begin swooning over cute she was.  
  
Hinata instantly turned his body to face the prince of Jikochuu.

' _W-What the hell is up with this guy?_ ' Kageyama thought to himself in irritation, having the sudden urge to punch the boy in his annoyingly bright face.  
  
Hinata stared at Kageyama with sparkling eyes, curiosity written all over his facial expression as he inched closer and closer towards the prince of Jikochuu, who kept on backing away, clearly creeped out.

Hinata couldn't help but grin at him, beaming.  
  
" _Woah! So you’re Kageyama Tobio, huh?_ You sure are tall!" Hinata complimented, clenching both of his fists and bringing them up to his chest, "Oh, you probably don’t know me yet, but I’m Hinata Shouyou!” The boy added on, pointing at himself with a laugh.  
  
Kageyama sighed after being slightly take aback at the boy's enthusiasm.

”I know who you are..” He muttered, avoiding eye contact.

Hinata blinked curiously for a few seconds, lips parted slightly in surprise - he proceeded to grin yet again.  
  
”Oh! Well, I guess that’s okay!" He replied, "But man, your castle sure is big! It’s nothing like mine back home!” The boy informed, looking over at the castle the Kageyama family owned in the distance.  
  
”... _Uh-huh_ …” Kageyama replied shortly.  
  
_**It then hit him.**_

_All of it._

_It hit Kageyama like a ton of bricks._

_The suitcases, the Hinata family's sudden arrival, the suspicious attitudes. It hit him entirely._  
  
_"Big bro, you're lucky."_  
  
_"Someone else will live with you and the servants at the castle in order to keep an eye on you."_  
  
_"He'll probably be here soon."_  
  
_Hinata Shouyou would be staying with him, Kageyama Tobio, for both of their parents, and Hinata's little sister were going somewhere - probably a vacation - leaving the two boys in the castle._  
  
_Needless to say, Kageyama Tobio had lost it at this sudden realisation._  
  
" _You've got to be messin' me around!_ " Kageyama yelled out, causing all conversations that were going on at that current moment to disappear entirely, and Hinata to flinch in shock.

"Tobio---"

"There is absolutely no way---no way in **_hell_ ** this distraction will be allowed in the castle as long as I'm here! He'll undoubtedly get in the way of my studying and become a total nuisance! Not to mention, he'll tear the entire place to shreds! Tripping up here and there, falling over and breaking our expensive treasures! _I won't be able to take it!_ " Kageyama ranted, pointing at the innocent orange haired boy, who's facial expression turned into one of fear.

After processing what Kageyama was implying, Hinata couldn't help but eventually frown, his arms folded across his chest.  
  
The queen of Jikochuu's jaw dropped as she stood up instantaneously, the king knitting his eyebrows together in a disappointed frown.

The queen of Himawari No Okoku's hazel coloured eyes had also widened in shock, herself at a complete loss as to how she should reply to that sudden outburst.  
  
As Kageyama frowned, looking at his parents, and ignoring the boy stood before him, he heard a snigger. He turned his head to see that Hinata's father, the king, was stifling his laughter, but failing horribly.  
  
" _S-scary.._ " Natsu whispered as she grabbed her mother's dress, "I don't think you're lucky after all, big bro." She attempted to add on as discreetly as possible, also failing horribly.

"SH-Shut up, Natsu!" Hinata stuttered, his face flushed whilst still frowning, " _Or I'll make you wish you did!_ "

" _Shouyou! Talk properly to your sister!_ " His mother snapped.

"What?! But it's not my fault!" Hinata whined, "She was provoking me!"

"I bet you don't even know what the word 'provoking' means!" Natsu taunted with a giggle.

"I do so!" Hinata retorted, " _I'm just not telling you!_ "  
  
' _Wh-what the hell..Don't they care about what I just sai---_ ' Kageyama's thoughts were then interrupted by a panicked voice.

“ _I--I’m so, so sorry about my stupid son! He's usually never like this!_ ” His mother exclaimed, hurrying over towards him and grabbing the back of his head, forcing him to bow down in apology - it was in a way that caused the young prince to think that if his mother had applied any more force than she already had on the back of his head, his neck would have been broken, " _Come on, you apologise too!_ " She urged in annoyance, letting go of the boy's head.

After a while of letting out annoyed grunts and grumbles, lowering his head and looking away, Kageyama kissed his teeth.  
  
"S--sorry..." He muttered as his head remained lowered, absolutely refusing to make eye contact.

Whilst Hinata stared down at him through squinted eyes, the frown remaining on his face, he glanced over to see his mother and father gesturing for him to reply.

"..It's fine." Hinata replied in monotone, redirecting his gaze back down at Kageyama.  
  
Hinata's father couldn't help but grin.

"It shows just how passionate your son is about preparing to become king! Not wanting distractions is good! You're a very mature boy!" He stated, ruffling Kageyama's hair, causing Kageyama to look up and glare at the man with a nod.

The king then gulped and backed away to stand by his wife's side.  
  
"I see.." Kageyama's mother replied with a nod, releasing the prince from her grip, "Well, since it's turned out this way, we might as well tell you everything, Tobio. Myself and your father are going on a holiday with the Hinata’s for three weeks, and their son will stay with you at the castle, in order for the two of you to become good friends." She explained.  
  
“ _As Kageyama-Kun doesn’t have any friends.._ ” Hinata muttered, causing Kageyama to whip his head back around to look at the boy in front of him, glaring.

Hinata then jumped in shock at the older boy's glare and hearing ability, rapidly turning his head away in order to avoid eye contact. He then walked over to his younger sister, wanting an excuse not to further involve himself.  
  
Kageyama gritted his teeth and glared at Hinata, who was running around on the castle grounds, chasing after Natsu with a grin.  
  
' _Curse that annoying Dumbass. Adding even more responsibility to my life...What a carefree Dumbass...Stupid Dumbass.._ '  
  
"I guess we should head off now." The queen of Himawari No Okoku said to her husband, looking down at her golden watch with intricate detail, "Shouyou, come and take your suitcases!" She ordered, calling out to her son.  
  
The prince of Himawari No Okoku seemed to never run out of energy as he stopped running and grinned, not even breaking a sweat or panting. Natsu then made her way back to her mother's side.  
  
" _Roger!_ " The boy beamed, saluting in a joking manner. He then ran up to the carriage, climbing inside and shuffling around for a few seconds.  
  
Kageyama gritted his teeth and clenched his fists to see the boy come back out, holding two suitcases in both of his hands, stood by his parents. The suitcases were a dandelion yellow, and printed onto them was the Hinata family crest.

 _Typical._  
  
"Oh, don't worry! We can get a servant to take those in!" Kageyama's mother assured, causing her husband to call a servant by the gates over.  
   
"Yes, it's those two suitcases in his hands. Place them inside of the room which the prince will be sleeping in." Kageyama's father ordered.

"As you command, Your Highness!" The servant bowed down far too seriously than necessary, and made his way towards Hinata, who gave him the suitcases gladly.  
  
"My, thank you very much!" Hinata's mother said, curtseying before the king and queen with a smile.

"It's our pleasure!" The two replied in unison, returning the smile.  
  
"Well then, myself and my wife will wait in the carriage, as we noticed Your Highness' haven't said goodbye to your charming son yet. Shouyou, have fun!" The king gave a grin and ruffled his son's hair.

"Ah--stop that! Stop ruffling my hair!" Hinata whined as he tried to 'fend off' his father.

"Come on, Natsu. Let's go." The queen urged softly, grabbing her daughter's hand.

"No! I wanna say bye to Big Bro!" Natsu replied in a bossy manner.

"Alright then, but make sure to be in the carriage before Mr and Mrs. Kageyama! It's not good to make guests wait! Especially if they're royalty!" Her mother informed, causing Natsu to let out a giggle, before nodding rapidly, "Good girl!"  
  
The king and queen of Himawari No Okoku then ordered the coachman to put the luggage the Kageyama's had placed by the side of the gate inside the carriage, to which he obliged.

The two had then disappeared inside the grand invention after all the luggage had been put in.  
  
Kageyama couldn't help but frown more and more, glaring daggers at his parents as the seconds passed by.

His parents gave him a blank look, knowing he was going to say something in 3...2...1...  
  
"... _This doesn't make sense!_ " The boy brought up in complaint.  
  
" _I knew it..._ " The king and queen sighed out in unison, looking at each other.

Kageyama sent the two a look of pure confusion, before returning back to his usual scowl.  
  
"You both want me to study for three weeks straight in order to be prepared for my tests, but on the side I have to hang out and become friends with that guy?!" He asked, pointing at Hinata who was crouched down on eye level with his little sister, a distance away from the Kageyama's.  
  
At one point, Natsu had begun to cry, causing Hinata to stroke her hair lovingly with a smile, assuring her the three weeks would be over before she knew it, and that she should enjoy the holiday she's been wanting to go on ever so badly, instead of wanting her brother by her side.  
  
"Yes, that's right." The queen replied simply, blinking.

Kageyama couldn't help but look down at the floor with his prominent frown.

However, a light bulb had lit up after his intelligence kicked in.  
  
“Wait, maybe he can have one of the other spare castles in the kingdom!” Kageyama suggested hopefully with a small smile.  
  
”Our castle is the only one in the kingdom, Tobio.” The king replied.

The boy's face dropped.  
  
”Well, we can make a new one! Specially for him!” The prince pressed on.  
  
”Not happening. He's our guest! Can't you be a little more compassionate?!” The queen asked in irritation.  
  
"Please, can't you just take him along with you on this holiday!?" Kageyama pleaded.  
  
"He doesn't want to come along! There's nothing we can do about that!" The queen replied.  
  
"Why didn't you tell me of this beforehand?! I was going to find out sooner or later! Why last minute!?" Kageyama growled.  
  
"Because we knew you'd react like this! And if you knew beforehand, your attitude would have worsened!" The queen retorted.  
  
"Despite that, you don't even know the Hinata's yet! You've only met his parents once!" Kageyama reasoned, holding his hands out for emphasis.  
  
"For your information," The queen began, both hands resting on her hips, her head tilted, "I became very good friends with the boy's mother through our letters! She invited myself and your father on this holiday, and we both knew you wouldn't want to come along! And their son didn't want to come along either! So we thought it'd be best if you were both together, in order to be safe!" She informed, beginning to get quite fed up of her son's spoiled attitude.  
  
Kageyama merely replied with a prolonged groan, pinching the bridge of his nose.  
  
"Now listen to me carefully - you are going to find the time to make friends with that boy whilst studying for these three weeks, whether you like it or not!" The queen continued on, "When you take your father's place as king, everything will only become even more difficult for you - you must be able to balance your dedication to knowledge, and dedication to the social hierarchy! There will be many cases like this! You _must_ interact for a prolonged amount of time with other members of the higher class!" She informed, "And if I hear a word--just one word which means he had a terrible experience here...."

The queen paused for an uncomfortable amount of time, then smiled.

"Well, let's just say you do your best to keep him happy!"

' _Geh! Scary..._ '  
  
"We need to go now, little Natsu's gone inside the carriage!" She pointed out to her husband with a smile, turning her head back around to face her son, "Have fun, Tobio! And be safe!"  
  
The boy merely groaned reply, causing his parents to roll their eyes, and disappear into the carriage.

Not long after, the coachman ordered to elegant horses to begin moving as the gates were opened by the servants.

After seeing the invention shake from side to side, riding off into the distance, and the gates closing, Kageyama sighed.  
  
' _Now..._ ' He thought, looking over at Hinata - the boy had a somewhat melancholic look on his face as he watched the carriage disappear, ' _To deal with Hinata Shouyou..._ '

* * *

"Hey, hey! Let's play hide and seek! Hey, c'mon! Let's play hide and seek! Hey, Kageyama! _Please?_ "  
  
" _Shut up, you nuisance! I have work to be getting on with!_ "  
  
"I'm not a nuisance! I just want to play hide and seek with you! _Please, Kaaa-gee-yaaa-maaa!_ You can do your work later! I'm your guest for three weeks!"  
  
" _ **Goddamn**_ , you're clingy!" The soon to be king called out whilst ruffling his hair up, causing Hinata to jolt in shock, "We've only just met, and you act as though we've been friends since childhood! Hide and seek is the most ridiculous game ever! It's pathetic!" Kageyama spat, "Just how old are you anyway, dumbass?!"  
  
"I'm sixteen years old! And _excuse me_ , but I'm trying to be nice and offer you the chance to experience a fun game for the _first time in your life_ , despite your outburst back there! You know it made you look like a _total asshole! If my parent's weren't there, I would have told you a thing or two!_ " Hinata commented with a frown, "And I'm not a dumbass, you...you--uh... _Egocentric Turd!_ " The boy retorted, pointing.

Kageyama stopped walking upon realising what the shorter prince had just referred to him as.

" _What did you call me....?_ " Kageyama growled slowly, turning his body to face the boy.

Hinata gulped in fear and frowned, backing away instantly.

" _Wh-what? You wanna fight, y' bastard?_ " The younger prince asked cautiously, bringing both of his hands up and standing in a defensive position.

Kageyama instantly grabbed Hinata's orange hair tightly.

"' _Egocentric Turd_ ', huh?! You _Flowery Dumbass!_ Learn to respect your elders!"  
  
" _Ow, ow, ow I'm sorry! I'm sorry, Kageyama-sama! UNCLE, UNCLE!_ " Hinata yelled out in fear, at a total loss as to how he could escape from the prince's insanely strong grip.  
  
Kageyama then sighed and let go of the boy's chaotically unkempt hair with a frown.

" _As long as you understand..._ " He muttered, glaring down at Hinata to see him with his hands on his head, rubbing his hair softly, grumbling to himself.  
  
' _Still, his hair's really soft..._ ' Kageyama thought in surprise, ' _Like a crow's feathers...I thought it'd be more rough from the way the textbook talked about it.._ '  
  
After a while of staring at the boy, Kageyama then whipped his body back around and stared in shock.

' _Wait..._ '

The young prince's brain then began to send him frantic signals, and he managed to formulate a plan.

' _If I agree to play hide and seek with this dumbass, then_ _I can study in peace if I tell him I'm the seeker. Not only will it keep him in one place, and stop him from breaking anything, but he'll have to stay there no matter_ _what! It's perfect!_ '  
  
"Ugh, fine!" Kageyama exclaimed in an abrupt, fake exasperation, causing Hinata to look up at him curiously, "I'll play hide and seek with you." He continued on with a pout as he crossed his arms.  
  
" _HAH!"_ Hinata called out, pointing at the taller prince, "I knew you'd admit defeat sooner or later!" He beamed, running in front of Kageyama, and standing there with the absolute look of accomplishment; smug.  
  
"Yeah, yeah. Whatever," Kageyama replied with a roll of his eyes, waving his hand, " _However!_ " The soon to be king exclaimed, "Only on one condition!" He pointed back at the boy, "I get to be the seeker!"  
  
"What...? B-But that's no fair! I'm always the seeker when I play with Natsu!" Hinata whined.  
  
"Tough! You get what you're given!" Kageyama replied with a frown, "Unless you don't want to play?" He asked, raising an eyebrow in hope as he smirked.  
  
"No, no! It's fine! I'll be the hider!" Hinata replied rapidly, waving his arms around, "Pff, whatever! Being the seeker was sort of lame anyway! Hiders are way cooler! They're like mysterious shadows!" The prince added on with an obnoxious laugh.  
  
"I...see..." Kageyama replied with a short nod, eyes squinted - he then sighed out, "Well, I'll begin counting out here, so you go on inside. For how many seconds do I count?"  
  
"Er..." Hinata paused in thought for a few moments, before beaming, "Since your castle is so big, make it 100 seconds!" He grinned, "That should be plenty of time!"  
  
"Alright." Kageyama nodded and closed his eyes, "One..two..three.."  
  
Hinata jumped in surprise at Kageyama's sudden counting without warning - he rapidly ran up the castle's marble entrance stairs, pulling the large door with a brown frame and fitted transparent glass outwards, running inside, and disappearing from sight.  
  
"Fifteen, sixteen, seventeen..."  
  
Kageyama stopped counting midway, his eyes now open.

" _Idiot. Who even has the time?_ " He taunted, sticking his tongue out with a frown.

* * *

The sounds of Hinata's panting and thumps reverberated throughout the corridors of the royal Kageyamas' luxurious castle.

With his feet having black trainers bestowed upon them, almost worth more than the kingdom in which his father and mother rule, the boy pondered in his thoughts if he should take them off, for his speed was decreasing. He needed a place to hide, and fast.

Sure, he found the occasional perfect hiding spot or two, but something told him that Kageyama was the kind of person who knew the castle from top to bottom, never leaving even a speck of it uncharted, meaning that, no matter where he hid, he'd just be trying to delay the inevitable.

' _Well, duh, you idiot! I mean, he lives here! Of course he knows where you'll be hiding! Didn't you see how that guy has a major stick up his ass?! He doesn't play around!_ '

Hinata Shouyou's thoughts had begun to poke at him again, causing him to groan in discontent as he made a rapid turn around a bend in the corridor.

_'God! This castle is too big! I don't even know where I'm going!'_

After a while of more running, thumping, and panting, the young prince's speed had decreased, and he had now found himself awkwardly walking through the corridors upon the ruby carpet, inspecting his surroundings.

Everything seemed like it had a place since the moment the castle was built. Looking over to the walls, with the paintings of the Kageyamas' ancestors, he couldn't help but laugh quietly to himself at the same, serious expressions they were all making.

' _It must run in the family..._ ' He thought to himself with a smirk, keeping the soon to be king of Jikochuu in mind the entire time. Hinata couldn't help but think that his mother was way off with her description of Kageyama.

After turning yet another corner, the boy found himself in yet another spacious castle hall.

There were multiple servants walking around, clearly busy. Some were discussing castle redecorating to one another, looking at multiple pieces of parchment, others were quietly cleaning the statues, pillars, and floors, and some were replacing the flowers in the vases that the queen of Jikochuu doted on ever so much.

That was when he had begun to receive weird looks from the Kageyamas' servants, their eyes squinted suspiciously; the boy had only just then realised that he was staring at the entire setting.

The servants then realised that it was the Prince Hinata Shouyou of Himawari No Okoku. They instantly squeaked an _'oh!'_  of recognition, beginning to scramble around and stand in front of Hinata, bowing down swiftly with caution.

"Welcome to the Kingdom of Jikochuu, Prince Shouyou. We do hope you've had a pleasant journey." One greeted as all of their heads were hanging down low.

Hinata blinked at them and had begun to laugh nervously, waving his hands at them with a grin.

"Nice to meet you all!" He beamed, "It's an honour to be in such a wonderful kingdom like Jikochuu! I insist, I insist, raise your heads, and please don't stop doing your wonderful work on my account!"

After the servants had heard Hinata's reply, their entire demeanours had brightened up instantly, raising their heads, and facing the prince. Seeing the sudden change in demeanour (as they had all begun to try and converse with the young prince) made Hinata wonder if they had never been treated on equal footing by the Kageyamas, since it seemed like he was the first one to ever do so.

' _Maybe it's always been the same thing over and over for them. They'd bow down for the Kageyamas, and they'd not even acknowledge their presence..._ ' Hinata thought to himself in melancholy.

Of course, at this point, Hinata's mother had always told him that even if commoners weren't treated on equal footing by a family of royalty, it was none of his business, and that was just the way things were in some kingdoms, which he didn't like the idea of at all. Due to his way of thinking, it had earned him the friendship of all of the servants in his castle back at Himawari No Okoku, to the point where they called him either Hinata or Shouyou; no formalities at all.

It was nice - just the thought of them made him miss them, and his home.

Just then, one of the servants had whispered a panicked, _'his Highness Prince Tobio is coming this way!'_ , causing Hinata to snap out of his melancholic trance, and widen his eyes in shock.

" _Shit!_ " He called out frantically, "I need a place to hide! Quick, where should I go!?" He asked the servants, to which they gave him a confused look, "I don't wanna be found by Kageyama! We're playing hide and seek!" The boy added on in explanation.

"Oh! Then might I recommend up the staircase over there, Your Highness?" A young servant girl asked with a smile, pointing, "If you take the left flight of stairs after reaching the top, it would be wise to make a right turn, which leads you to a very long hall, full of rooms which are hardly in use! If you make a few turns around here and there, then I'm sure His Highness will give up!" She beamed.

Hinata gave a rapid, thankful nod upon hearing approaching footsteps.

And with that, the young prince had begun to dash off again, taking another route up the grand, extended staircase, hoping to avoid meeting Jikochuu's soon to be king.

Meanwhile, Kageyama had made his way over to the hall in which Hinata had stood in a mere few seconds ago, just missing the boy. One hand was in his pocket as he whistled a random tune, ignoring the servants who had continued to do their work, since he didn't want to bother them.

The servants remained quiet, sending each other unsure looks as to whether on not they should tell Kageyama (if he were to ask) where Hinata had gone off to. But surprisingly, the young prince hadn't asked.

In fact, it seemed that the messenger boy had made an appearance moments ago, for the young prince had scrolled up pieces of parchment in hand.

And thus, with this realization, everyone knew that he was not to be disturbed, for his tests were coming up, and he was making his way back to his room to study.

_No one dared to address this, or find Hinata._

* * *

There he was, running and panting for his life yet again; Hinata was doing as the servant girl had instructed, making rapid turns. For someone who never got tired, the fact that he was running at a speed he had never managed to accomplish before really took a toll on both his body and stamina.

' _Just...why am I so eager to not be found, anyway?.._ ' The boy couldn't help but wonder to himself curiously.

About to make a right turn, trying to disappear behind a bend in the corridor, he felt his body turbulently collide with someone else's, the two of them falling on the floor at the same time.

" _Ow, ow, ow, oww..._ " Hinata winced at the sudden contact between the crimson carpet (with marble underneath it) and his bottom. He couldn't help but sarcastically think that today was the perfect day.

After realising he had just collided with someone else, the boy promptly found himself looking at someone who had seemed to be buried underneath what looked like an avalanche of laundry, unable to help them up.

"... _Uh---uhm...are...you..._ " Hinata began, awkwardly attempting to make conversation, rather unsure of where the person's actual face was, "Sorry...for...uh...bumping into _you_..?..."

The sudden movement underneath the pile of laundry, which followed after the end of the boy's sentence, caused the prince to squeak and crawl back in shock, only inches away from pushing over a decorative pillar which had a marble sculpture placed upon it - one that Hinata was sure he had read about somewhere, and had some sort of major significance within the world.

" _Wah! I was sure I'd suffocate under all of that fabric!_ " A voice sighed out in relief, breathing for air ever so slightly.

Hinata cocked an eyebrow and saw that a boy undoubtedly older than himself had sat up, taking one of the large (and now creased) sheets off of himself, placing it by his side.

' _Gray hair, a mole by his left eye...seems pretty tall...must be another servant from the way he dresses.._ ' Hinata thought to himself, examining the guy.

Just then, he blinked a couple of times curiously, noticing that the servant was gaping in horror as he looked at him.

"Oh, right, yeah!" The young prnce was reminded, shrugging the weird look that the boy was giving him off, "Sorry for bumping into you! Totally my bad!" He apologised, pointing at himself, "Y'see, I was trying to----"

However, before he could continue speaking, his sentence was interrupted.

" _ **Oh my gosh, Prince Shouyou!**_  I-I didn't realize it was you sooner! I'm terribly sorry! The fact that you had to witness such a sight! _Ah, I'm a such a mess!_ This is the second time today! I really need to watch where I'm going!" The servant boy said as he scrambled around, grabbing all of the masses of laundry which were spread out across the floor, the tension easily distinguishable in his voice; he then quickly paused and bowed on the floor before the prince, managing to hit his head against the carpet and underlying marble, going back to what he was doing straight after.

"N-no...honestly, like I said, it was my fau---"

"It's fine, it's fine, Your Highness!" The boy insisted, "It was my fault for not seeing where I was going! Oh my gosh, I'm so embarrassed! They told me I shouldn't walk around with so much laundry to the point I couldn't see what was in front of me! Me and His Highness Prince Tobio had also bumped into each other this morning!" He informed, letting a few nervous laughs escape from his mouth, "Although it was less violent...he had only dropped his textbook..."

Hinata could only nod his head slowly in response, scratching his head as he was slightly taken aback by such an occurance.

"Oh, and my name's Sugawara Koushi, Your Highness! As you can tell, I work here." He introduced, looking at the prince with a warm smile, "It's an honour to meet you!"

Hinata then couldn't help but smile in response.

"An honour to be here." He replied, crawling over and helping the boy gather some of the laundry up as well.

"Oh, Your Highness, please don't bother! Your hands will get dirty!" Sugawara insisted worriedly, gasping in shock.

"It's fine! This is nothing compared to how dirty I get back at home!" Hinata reassured with a grin and laugh, gesturing to the plasters on his bare legs, "Besides, I wanna help!" He added on.

After a minute of gathering the laundry up, for now not bothering to neatly fold them as they once were, the two stood up, Hinata holding one side of the pile, as Sugawara did with the other.

"Thank you ever so much, Your Highness! I really appreciate your kindness!" Sugawara beamed with a smile, tilting his head to the right, in order to look past the massive pile which blocked his sight in front of him. Hinata did the same, tilting his head to the left with a grin.

"Don't mention it! But I think I'd better help after all! You folded all of this yourself, right?" Hinata asked.

"Ah--uh, no, Your Highness! I was just given the clothing! I was instructed to deliver it downstairs where the kitchens and laundry rooms are!" Sugawara informed, "All of the kitchens and laundry rooms are joined together!"

"Woah...." Was all Hinata could breathe out, "This place really is incredible!" He beamed.

"Yes, it really is!" The older servant replied with a smile.

"I wanna come along with you and help deliver this stuff!"

"Oh--Are you sure, Your Highness? You're meant to be an honoured guest here!"

"Yeah, but I'd rather be with you than that uptight ass!" Hinata muttered distastefully, Sugawara realising that he was undoubtedly talking about Kageyama, "I've been running up and down this castle for god knows how long, yet he still hasn't found me! He truly is terrible at hide and seek! Not to mention slow! I thought he knew this place from top to bottom!"

"But, Your Highness, isn't the entire point of the game to stay in one hiding place?" Sugawara asked curiously, "I'm sure he's wondering where you are!"

"Yeah, but.." Hinata began, looking down at the floor, clearly not having an answer, "Well, whatever! I'll find a proper hiding spot after I've helped you out!"

* * *

"Man, you weren't kidding when you said the kitchens and laundry rooms are all joined together, huh? Nothin' like back home!"

"Of course, Your Highness! And I'm sure that, either way, your kingdom is absolutely wonderful!"

"Mmh..yeah, I guess. But then again, I'd rather live the commoner's lifestyle back at my place; more freedom and no royal duties, y'know? Still, mum would kill me if I said something like that in front of her, _haha!_ _Oh!_ And call me Hinata or Shouyou! I don't really like formalities! We're friends now, anyway!"

"If you insist, Your Highne---.... _Hinata_."

The Prince of Himawari No Okoku gave a bright grin towards the taller servant as he was sat on a particular wooden counter-top within the Kageyamas' cavernous kitchens.

With his feet dangling back and forth, he couldn't help but look around in awe, eyes gleaming in curiosity; half of the foods set on the tables within the kitchens caused the boy to think if such things were even possible to create, as he felt himself longing and drooling intently.

The extended laundry rooms were placed towards the right side of the kitchens, causing them to be merged together. The ceiling was elevated, having golden patterns (as well as illustrations) placed upon them, as well as various chandeliers. The numerous cupboards, drawers, fridges, freezers, utensils, and much more told one that it was a kitchen truly befitted for a royal family.

This caused Hinata to become intrigued enough to want to know how the Kageyama's and their ancestors came to be of royal blood in the first place.

Upon his arrival with Sugawara Koushi, all of the cooks, maids, cleaners, and food tasters gathered themselves into an orderly line, bowing before him respectfully, and welcoming him.

After the servants noticed that he was holding the dirty laundry, which was now a pile of creased material instead of neat folds, most of them sent dirty glares towards Sugawara's way, to which Hinata explained it was his fault for the mess; the head maid then gave a smile and assured it was okay, as they were going to go in the wash anyway, so there was no point in folding them neatly in the first place. Suga couldn't help but sigh in relief and send a thankful (yet sheepish) smile towards the prince (to which he returned), as the maids took the pile out of their hands, and set to work.

Sugawara was leaning against the wooden counter-top as he held a mug of tea in his hand with a relieved smile.

"My duties for today are over, so if you would like me to, I could leave?" He asked.

Hinata blinked and looked at the boy, unsure of what facial expression to make.

"Of course I don't want you to leave." Hinata replied simply, "So far, you're the only one I've met here who I can hold a conversation with. In a way, if we attended school together, you'd kinda be like my upperclassman!" The boy informed with a beam, causing Suga's expression to become that of surprise, putting his now empty mug on the counter-top.

After realising the older boy's expression, Hinata quickly began to wave his arms around

"N-No! That is----unless you have some business to tend to! Then I won't force you to stay! And besides, Kageyama's probably still searching for me, so I can just hide somewhere!"

".... _I'm really sorry, Hinata_. But I have to visit the bakers and florist, since my family wants me home for today; everyone's celebrating with their families all over the kingdom, due to your arrival. I also have to help out with making food." Suga informed.

Hinata gave a slight frown at the boy's melancholy before grinning, patting the older's boy's back reassuringly.

"It's fine, it's fine, Sugawara-san! Now off with you!" The boy ordered enthusiastically, "Tell your family I said hi!"

As the servant smiled and gave a small wave, making his way out of the castle, Hinata sighed, now stood in the entrance hall of the castle, unsure of what to do.

" _..Might as well hide._ " He muttered to himself, beginning to go up the stairs just opposite the entrance of the castle.

* * *

Meanwhile, Kageyama was sat in his room at his desk yet again, pouting at the scrolled up pieces of parchment which lay still on his desk; the messenger boy hadn't wasted any time in delivering it to him, panting as though he was drowning.

"So much revision in the span of 3 weeks. I'll never make it." The soon to be king muttered to himself, arms folded over his chest.

' _Might as well look at them and start.._ ' He concluded, taking the first piece of parchment and opening it up.

After analysing it for a moment or two, he cocked his eyebrow in confusion.

The first revision list consisted of:

  * Writing practice speeches & studying famous ones.
  * Horse riding skills.
  * Planning out strategies & tactics for wars.
  * Memorizing the family hierarchy in the past and present.
  * Study Jikochuu’s entire background/history.



Kageyama paused.

He blinked.

_His eyes widened._

"This must be a mistake..... _but...they never occur in our kingdom_." He said to himself, " _I've already done all of this. I know about all of this. I've memorized all of this. I'm perfect at all of it._ "

He then quickly proceeded to open the three other scrolled up pieces of parchment, but was shocked upon finding that they were revision material, instead of a continuation of the list. He analysed the parchments, seeing his family tree & hierarchy, maps of the amount of land his family owned, writing frames for speeches, and that was just about it.

Then, as if on cue, there was a sudden knock at the door.

"I'm sorry, Your Highness, but---"

"Just come in." Kageyama called out in interruption, causing the same butler from the morning to appear, this time pushing a golden food trolley in front of him.

For the afternoon, the trolley consisted of (yet again) a range of drinks, desserts, and foods the boy could choose from.

As Kageyama blinked at the food trolley, holding the pieces of parchment in hand, he looked over at the clock.

"Lunch already? I hadn't noticed." He said simply.

"Yes, Your Highness - we had noticed that you hadn't rung your bell for us to deliver your food - that is why I was instructed by the chef to bring it straight to you." The butler informed with a humble bow.

"Oh. I see." The boy merely said, "Well, if that's the case, then I'll have the Café au lait, any sandwich you think I'd enjoy, and a slice of strawberry cheesecake. I have no need for the rest."

"As instructed, Your Highness."

However, before the boy was about to redirect his attention back to the 'mix up', the butler had spoken yet again.

"Oh, and that reminds me, Your Highness---"

Kageyama looked over at the man with a pout, causing the butler to be taken aback.

"I-I'm incredibly sorry, Your Highness, but I was just told to deliver this message to you, from the king." The man said, handing the boy a blue and golden envelope.

Upon receiving it, Kageyama abruptly opened it - cocking his eyebrow in confusion yet again, the boy read it.

The message wrote:

_Tobio, I know what you're thinking. And no, the revision list is not a mistake._

_With your knowledge, I'm sure that you can pass your exams without even revising, let alone lifting a finger._

_The reason why we gave you this particular list was to see if you would choose the boy over your studies - and I'm guessing you chose the latter first._

_Listen to me, Tobio._

_You must become friends with him. You can leave the revision; just become friends with that boy and live a little before you're crowned as the king. I've been told he gets homesick rather easily, so make sure you keep him company._

_I've also informed King Daichi of the boy's arrival in our kingdom, and he is to visit you both in a week's time to make sure everything is okay._

_Don't let me down._

_\- Your Father_

Kageyama began to frown as he reread the message over and over.

".. _'Become friends with him'_ , you say? That's stupid.." The boy muttered to himself.

After a while of silence, the butler looking at the boy worriedly, he flinched upon seeing Kageyama suddenly scrunching the message and envelope up; the prince then turned his head over to look at the butler, glaring.

" _Find Hinata! Search throughout the entire castle! Gather as many people as you can!_ " He snapped.

"Yes, Your Highness!" The butler straightened his stance seriously, saluting - after seeing him leave at a rapid pace, Kageyama turned himself back around to stare down at the list.

' _If he's still hiding...waiting for me to find him..then he really is a dumbass.._ '


	3. Dinner Is Served

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wOW, BEFORE I CAN SAY ANYTHING ELSE, MAY I JUST SAY 200+ KUDOS~!! :'D WORD'S CANNOT EVEN BEGIN TO DESCRIBE HOW THANKFUL I AM TO ALL OF YOU WONDERFUL READERS! HONESTLY, YOU'RE ALL TOO KIND! <3 IT STARTED OFF AS SUCH A SILLY LITTLE IDEA, BUT BECAUSE OF ALL OF YOUR MOTIVATING, KIND, FUNNY COMMENTS, I'VE GOTTEN THIS FAR!! (THIS IS THE FIRST TIME I'VE EVER RECEIVED 200+ KUDOS!!) ☆*:.｡. o(≧▽≦)o .｡.:*☆ ☆*:.｡. o(≧▽≦)o .｡.:*☆ ☆*:.｡. o(≧▽≦)o .｡.:*☆
> 
> I also wanted to let my readers know that when you all comment, I am TRULY thankful, but I find myself unable to find the proper words to reply sometimes, so please don't think I'm ignoring you all or anything! ^^;; Despite this, I'll try my best to reply to some of the comments!
> 
> Also, here are some illustrations I've made regarding the fic, if any of you were interested! 
> 
> http://kissthestarsandlovethemoon.tumblr.com/post/114849189133/hi-i-am-just-out-of-ideas-for-drawing-so-is-it
> 
> It consists of written notes (like colour scheme etc), casual outfit ref for both Hinata and Kageyama, as well as their kingdoms’ crests; their royal families’ crowns + capes are included too! 
> 
> I've made real life ref for the outfits on top of that! But only for Kageyama and HInata at this moment, so it may turn into a series of some sort! ^^
> 
> http://kissthestarsandlovethemoon.tumblr.com/post/120021183343/prince-hinata-shouyou-prince-kageyama-tobios
> 
> ALSO, OkAY, OK A Y, I JUST WANTED TO LET ALL OF YOU NOW ABOUT AN AWESOME PERSON CALLED KAITLYN (ALSO KNOWN AS CHERITSUNDERE), WHOM HAS BECOME A KIND OF MUTUAL OF MINE IN A WAY THROUGH THIS FIC, AND I JUST WANT YOU ALL TO TAKE A MOMENT OF YOUR TIME TO CLICK ON HER BLOG, FOLLOW HER, AND GIVE HER A LOT OF LOVE BECAUSE SHE IS AN INSPIRATION TO ME.
> 
> SHE HAS TAKEN IT UPON HERSELF TO MAKE A DOUJINSHI OF THIS FIC, WHICH I PRACTICALLY CRIED AT. SHE HAS RELEASED THE FIRST 11 PAGES OF IT, WHICH IS THE OVERALL GIST OF CHAPTER ONE OF THIS FIC; HER WONDERFUL ART ARE THE LINKS BELOW, SO PLEASE JUST SUPPORT HER, GIVE HER LOVE, AND OH MY H GOD, CHERI, I KNOW I’VE SAID THIS SO MANY TIMES, BUT FOR THE FINAL TIME, THANKYOUSOMUUCHOM~!! <3
> 
> http://cheritsundere.tumblr.com/post/121056728450/from-the-awesome-kissthestarsandlovethemoon-s-au
> 
> http://cheritsundere.tumblr.com/post/122318457175/so-guys-i-have-created-my-first-doujinshi-its
> 
> I also added another reference post for the Kagehina parents!~:
> 
> http://kissthestarsandlovethemoon.tumblr.com/post/122074539403/so-im-working-on-the-doujin-of-the-egocentric-and
> 
> And with that being said, please enjoy the new chapter~! °˖ ✧◝(○//ヮ//○)◜✧˖ °

_"Prince Shouyou!?"_

_"Not here!"_

_"Prince Shouyou, where are you!?"_

_"Not here either!"_

_"Oh goodness, what ever shall we do!? The Young Prince has gone missing already! On his first day of arrival!"_

_"He told us that he was going to hide from his Highness Tobio! It seems that the two were playing hide and seek!"_

_"But we've already checked every room in the West Wing! He wasn't there!"_

_"Besides, Prince Tobio went to his study during that time! I highly doubt that he had any intention of finding the boy! So I don't understand what suddenly caused him to order this frantic search.."_

_"Shh! Do you want to be executed?! Don't question His Highness!"_

_"But Prince Hinata was last seen with that Koushi servant in the kitchens and laundry rooms! He said that he had bumped into him, and was helping him bring the pile of dirty clothing down! I'm sure if we find Koushi, he'd know!"_

_"Koushi isn't in the castle! His duties for today are finished! The Prince went and said his farewells to the boy before his departure! I overheard His Highness say something about going back to his game of hide and seek, but even if he did, that doesn't change the fact that we can't find him!"_

The conversations taking place throughout the Kageyamas' castle, from one servant to another, bore the utmost tension and dismay; upon their sudden order to find the orange-haired Prince, the servants had wasted no time in beginning to scramble all over the castle.

Needless to say, the one whom had ordered this frantic search, Prince Kageyama Tobio, was hastily travelling about the castle too, paying no attention to the servants' conversations.

"Damn it, damn it!" He muttered sharply under his breath, the agitation easily distinguishable in his voice.

The boy had begun to open every door which he encountered, examining the room for a few moments (with the occasional walking in and exploring), before slamming it shut with a growl. It was during his search that he kept on recalling what his father had written in the letter.

 _'.."You can leave the revision. Live a little"..'_ He thought, quoting his father's words, rather touched, _'Freedom. I've been given it...after years, I have freedom, and---"become friends with that boy"..'_

Kageyama couldn't help but look down at the floor and give a dejected sigh, stood in a particular hall with draping blue and golden curtains.

' _He could be the very first friend I make...and I pulled such a move...not to mention the fact that being left alone with his thoughts right now could have caused them to drift back to Himawari No Okoku...he's a homesick kid, after all..._ '

The boy then let out a groan of frustration, ruffling his hair up.

' _Think, think! You've got this! Don't feel bad for making your education a priority!_ ' He scolded himself sternly.

"An energetic and clumsy Prince---or rather, kid, who seems to not care about the fact he's royalty; just where in the world where a person like that hide...?" He asked himself, holding his chin with a scowl.

A moment or two passed, his mind blank, until they began to send him fragments of ideas.

" _Himawari---.....sunflower...sunlight..._ " He muttered to himself steadily, " _..Sunlight would be---uh...refreshing?..Refresh...fresh...freshness....._ "

And it was in that moment that Kageyama Tobio wished he could kiss himself; in his opinion, his intelligence was truly a blessed thing to behold.

"Bathrooms!" The Prince beamed, clicking his fingers in recognition, "He has to be!"

And off he went with a dash, eager to see if his intelligence would boost his ego even more. 

* * *

A while had passed as Kageyama went back and forth between all of the scattered-around bathrooms which the castle had (the numbers being over 20); he stood before the last sensibly crème-coloured door, rather hesitant for unknown reasons, even to himself.

Opening it slowly after a few moments, and proceeding to stroll in casually, Kageyama looked around curiously with a cocked eyebrow, unamused. With the room's colour scheme being that of crème, the boy couldn't help but admire the handy-work of the architects and builders; with four pillars holding up the snow-coloured ceiling, bearing an arch in the middle of it (as well as a chandelier, sensibly hung from the top), Kageyama couldn't help but notice the bathtub placed in the middle of the pillars, its colour resembling the ocean itself. There were also blue and golden drapes hung over the place, due to the fact the bathroom was for multiple use; one could also see the built in showers scattered around, as well as multiple sinks and facilities.

However, no matter how admirable the design, he couldn't help but look disgusted at the fact that there were pictures of himself and his family hung around.

"In a bathroom of all places..." He muttered to himself with a sigh, momentarily face-palming before going back to looking around - after a while, he then quietly sighed, not bothering to explore any further.

The orange-haired boy wasn't here either.

That is, until Kageyama heard a small sigh from beyond a particular drape; with his interest peaking, he quickly approached it and walked through the relatively short corridor which was hidden behind it. After making a turn out of the corridor, he couldn't help but stare, as something had caught his attention. Of course, this was to be expected, for an intelligent Prince like Kageyama Tobio was hardly ever wrong.

Opposite himself, Hinata was sat against the wall on the floor, hugging his knees close to his chest. The younger boy, after being snapped out of his trance, looked up at Kageyama blankly, causing the older boy to be on slight edge as to what would be said; yet he, too, looked at Hinata blankly.

" _You suck at hide and seek_." Hinata finally muttered after a while, turning his head away with a small pout.

"It's 'cause you're so good at hiding, dumbass; don't blame me." Kageyama replied with a frown and shrug, "You, uh... _must've been waiting a while_..." He mumbled awkwardly.

Yet he didn't dare apologise; at least, not yet, anyway.

"Well, not reall---" Hinata then instantly cut himself off, covering his mouth in shock.

Kageyama cocked an eyebrow at the boy, soon frowning.

" _Oh? 'Not really', huh?_ " Kageyama quoted with a scowl, "So you were cheating? Not staying in one place?" He asked specifically, "I thought that was the aim of the game? Not walking about the castle scot-free? I could just assume you went around to uncover the family secrets, and imprison you for life, you know. Or worse, execute you."

"W-wait, Kageyama----it--it's just---" Hinata began to stutter, clearly panicked, "I--uh, got kind of bored and wanted to---"

"Wanted to explore? Over a game which _I_ , the soon to be king, had agreed to play?" Kageyama interrupted, inching closer and closer towards the boy, who was scrambling up off of the floor and trying to back up against the wall even more, waving one arm around to keep Kageyama back, "You should be thankful--no, ** _honoured_** , that I had agreed to play."

"C-C'mon, Kageyama! If we talk about this, you'll understand! _Right? **Right?**_ " The boy tried to say as cheerily as possible, nervously laughing.

" _Not until I knock some sense into that thick skull of yours!_ " Kageyama called out, lunging towards the boy; Hinata then let out a high pitched scream, bending down and diving out of the way, somehow managing to successfully dodge the boy.

Just as that happened, Kageyama crashed into the wall, hitting the particular built in shower's button on.

Hinata's eyes widened in shock, whilst Kageyama's jaw dropped - as the water had activated, beginning to spray in multiple directions, the sight was a beautiful one, like a heavy rain shower. However, the two boys at the current moment didn't appreciate it, and instead began to scramble around, trying to avoid getting soaked. However, no matter where they tried to find shelter, totally ignoring the fact that they could run through the corridor and beyond the drape, it seemed that the water would always find them.

" ** _Shi--!_** " Before Kageyama could even utter a proper word, let alone a sentence, he was interrupted as the water had roughly sprayed him in the face, causing him to fall on the floor, the ceiling also beginning to shower down on himself and Hinata.

" _T-Turn it off! Turn it off, Bakageyama!_ " Hinata quickly said, holding his arms up to cover his hair, trying to stifle his laughter - of course, the effort to cover his hair was futile (as well as his laughter), as the two were drenched from head to toe, almost to the point where their sight was effected, the dry and stinging feeling within their eyes being a very unpleasant one.

When Kageyama had pressed the same button in an attempt to turn all of the water off, he sucked a sharp breath in to see that it hadn't worked.

"K-Kageyama!? What are you waitin' for!? Turn it off!"

" _Gee, why didn't I think of that before?! It's almost as though I know how to work this particular shower!_ " Kageyama retorted sarcastically, looking over at the boy through a squinted eye, the other being squeezed shut.

"R-Really?!" Hinata asked hopefully, totally oblivious.

" ** _No, dumbass!_** " Kageyama snapped, " _I have no idea how this shower works! I've never even used it, and all the bathrooms in this castle have specific types of showers!_ "

"Oh." Hinata replied shortly before biting his lip lightly, " _But we have to do something!_ " He added on with persistence.

Just then, multiple servants had ran in on the scene, screaming upon realising what was going on.

" _Your Highness'!_ " One squeaked, the worry apparent in her voice, "Oh my goodness!"

"A-Are you alright?!" Another asked, quickly pulling Kageyama up off the floor; the abrupt action resulted in the servant slipping over, himself and Kageyama crashing down on the floor, it being a second time for the prince. Hinata couldn't help but laugh, pointing at Kageyama's glaring face; however, once another servant had turned the shower off, all went silent.

"You! Quickly get towels for their Highness'!" A servant snapped to the other, helping both the Princes and other servant up steadily.

"Yes, Sir!"

"Now, please come this way, Your Highness'..."

* * *

"Kageyama, I'm sorry! R-Really, honestly, I'm sorry!"

"I can't believe you. Just stop talking for a while; I need to process how in the world this managed to happen. And also, get off of my bed; you're going to soak it!"

The two Princes were now in Kageyama's bedchamber as an uncomfortable atmosphere, resembling that of tension, enveloped them both; water had begun to continuously drip from the tips of their hair, as well as one or two streams down their faces. Hinata squinted his eyes with a frown and pout, crossing his arms; as a towel was covering his hair, he sat on Kageyama's bed cross-legged, not bothering to dry himself off. His body was already impacting the bedsheets and dampening them, much to the dismay of the older boy, who was standing and drying his hair off sensibly.

"I'm trying to apologise here, you Egocentric----....well, whatever!" Hinata cut himself off and refrained from saying anything else in fear of angering Kageyama more than he already had; there was then a short pause before he began to speak of the main matter at hand, "And anyway, this is partially your fault too, you know!" He informed, pointing over at the Prince accusingly.

"Hah? The hell are you talking about, dumbass?" Kageyama asked in monotone, turning his head to look at the shorter prince with a cocked eyebrow; He began to rub his towel in a circular motion as it covered most of his hair. He couldn't lie, the sensation was rather nice, but his body was beginning to feel cold due to his damp clothes. The servants had yet to bring the two princes their gowns, so for now, they couldn't wear Kageyama's clean clothes in the wardrobe; the boy highly doubted his size would properly fit the smaller Prince anyway, so he was hoping that the servants had enough decency to bring Hinata his own clothes. That reminded him, he didn't know which room Hinata would be sleeping in.

"The servants!" Hinata snapped, "I overheard the servants in the hallway! Do you think I'm stupid?!"

" _ **That I do.**_ " Kageyama replied almost instantaneously.

" _ **You're cruel!**_ " Hinata cried out, pointing yet again at the soon to be King, "I know that you didn't come and look for me straight away; instead of looking for me, you came up to your room and began to revise for some stupid tests or whatever!" He informed, clearly offended.

"Yeah, but...." Kageyama's words eventually trailed off as he began to scowl, not knowing what to say; he then straightened his stance and looked into the boy's eyes, standing a respectable distance away from his bed, "It's only natural I put my studies over you. I'm going to become _the king_ this year. These tests mean everything to me at the current moment, so I can't waste my time babysitting the likes of you...it's my own life and living, after all."

"But studying is your entire life! I can tell!" Hinata replied with a whine. He then paused and cocked an eyebrow, crossing his arms, unamused, "But that aside - why, then? What made you change your mind to come looking for me, despite the lack of free time you have?" He asked, clearly suspicious.

Kageyama tensed up slightly at the question, abruptly beginning to look around his room, rather taken aback.

' _I can't tell him! Not after all of this!_ ' The boy thought in desperation, ' _I can't just casually say "oh, my dad sent me a letter saying to live a little and have you become my first friend! So let's hang out, and let me comfort you when you're homesick!"....that's just stupid from no matter what angle you look at it!_ '

Kageyama began to rub his head with the towel even harder in an attempt to dodge the question.

"By the way, that dumb question aside, King Sawamura Daichi of Karasuno Kingdom is visiting us in a week." He muttered as he looked down at the floor.

" _WOAH! Seriously?! **The**  King Sawamura Daichi of Karasuno Kingdom!?_" Hinata practically jumped at the news he was told, now stood in front of the taller boy, looking up at him; his eyes were practically glowing as his two fists were clenched, brought up to his chest innocently.

' _Seems it's a habit or some sort for him to do that..._ ' Kageyama thought casually, ' _And I'm surprised his towel didn't fall from his head when he made that jump....the kid's got some jumping height, I'll give him that much..._ '

"That's what I just said, dumbass; but yeah, he is." Kageyama replied simply, trying to avoid Hinata's annoyingly bright gaze.

" _Wah! Amazing!_ I've never met him! Our kingdom isn't powerful enough yet to form an alliance with his!" Hinata informed with a grin, beginning to jump around in amusement, "I really wanted to meet him though!"

"Yeah, well, our kingdom formed an alliance with his ages ago," Kageyama said with a smirk, his eyes closed as he tilted his head slightly, his hands on his hips, "He's practically my older brother; although I don't see him that often.."

"Still! You're super lucky!" Hinata replied, staring at the taller boy in awe.

"Right?" Kageyama gave a mischevious grin, his eyes locked with Hinata's.

After a while of staring at each other, the silence almost deafening, Hinata's cheeks began to flush as he lightly bit his lip, stood by Kageyama's bed.

Kageyama blinked at Hinata curiously with a cocked eyebrow, tilting his head slightly.

"Oi, dumbass...you okay?" Kageyama asked in concern, walking up to the boy and bending down slightly to look at Hinata's downcast face.

" _..M'....M' fine..Bakageyama..._ " The shorter Prince replied quietly - as soon as he had said that, Hinata turned his head away from Kageyama's direction and let out a vociferous sneeze, causing the older boy to jump slightly, " _Oh, god! That hurt!_ " Hinata groaned in pain, sniffling a couple of times.

"..Your face is bright pink, too." Kageyama pointed out, "I thought you were blushing." He added on as he couldn't help but snigger.

"Huh? Really?" Hinata asked, a hint of fatigue in his voice, "Then I think I'm getting a temperature...or a cold.."

"Geez..." Kageyama grumbled, coughing a few times, "Trust these servants to bring our damn gowns in a flash...Just where in the world are they kept, anyway?"

"You don't even know where your gowns are kept?!" Hinata asked, not believing it.

"When everything's done for you since birth, and continues on for 17 years straight, it's kind of hard to break out and gain independence." Kageyama informed, "The servants always come and do everything for me; except for the education related stuff, of course. Education is basically the only thing I'm capable of. There's also my compulsory fencing lessons, and archery, and horse riding, and...well, you get the gist. They all fall under my education category."

"But that's stupid!" Hinata said, a hint of annoyance in his voice, "This way, you're not properly living!"

"I don't wanna hear that from you!" Kageyama retorted, "You know, you live life with a carefree approach way too much! The aspect of education doesn't even exist to you! And from what I'm guessing, you don't give two shits about your practical future!" He said, pointing at the boy, "Just when exactly _are_ you going to take over Himawari No Okoku anyway, dumbass?!"

" _God, you're so rude, Kageyama-kun!_ " Hinata informed, sticking his tongue out, "And I don't know! I don't even want to take the kingdom over!"

"Well, whatever. As long as your parents are around, I guess it's fine for you to remain this way..." Kageyama muttered, hands on his hips. Hinata then let out yet another sneeze, now sitting on the edge of the bed and covering his nose.

" _Guh..I feel like the inside of my nose is on fire..._ " The boy complained nasally.

Kageyama then kissed his teeth in annoyance, looking away.

"... _Fine; we'll just have to improvise._ " Kageyama muttered, knowing he would regret it, "Hey, dumbass," He addressed Hinata casually, causing the smaller boy to look up at him with a cocked eyebrow.

"What, Bakageyama?"

" _...Strip._ "

" _...Hah?_ "

" _I'm saying take your clothes off._ "

* * *

With his eyes squinted in bewilderment, his lips parted, opening and closing in repetition, trying to form a sentence, Hinata was sat in Prince Kageyama's bed; having removed all of his clothing (with the exception of boxers), the boy sat awkwardly underneath the older Prince's bed covers, pulling them up slightly to cover his chest.

" _How....just **how in the world** did it come to **this**..?_  " Hinata muttered to himself uncomfortably as he leaned against the bed's golden headboard, as well as Kageyama's multiple pillows.

With the towel remaining over his head, he didn't dare to look up from the covers and at Kageyama, whom had done the same as himself; as the soon to be King sat on the end of his bed and under the covers, having too removed all of his clothing (yet again, with the exception of boxers), his arms were crossed over his chest as annoyance was written all over his face, the towel resting around his neck.

"It's because you wouldn't stop your complaining and sneezing, dumbass! I was beginning to cough, too!" Kageyama snapped all too defensively, "The way you screamed and struggled after my proposal would cause anyone passing by to think that I was trying to do something dodgy to you!" He growled, pointing at the shorter prince, who flinched ever so slightly.

"Th---that's 'cause!---" Hinata cut himself off as he raised his head to look at Kageyama, his teeth gritted.

After a moment, he turned his head away.

"W-well..how was I supposed to know that taking wet clothes off prevented colds and temperatures!" He stuttered in embarrassment.

"It's common sense! _Common sense!_ " Kageyama snapped, "Even a dumbass like you should know that!" He retorted, clearly in disbelief at the boy's stupidity, "And it's no different from an onsen! In fact, it's less graphic!"

"But still! Suddenly saying something like that..." Hinata muttered, turning his head back to face the boy with determination, "You know it didn't even sound like a _proposal_! It sounded more like an _order_!" He informed with a slight frown, " _Of course I'd take it the wrong way!_ "

"I don't care what it sounded like!" Kageyama snapped, "Next time just do as you're told instead of causing so much trouble for me!" He ordered with a glare, "It's bad enough you're staying here for three weeks straight while I have tests to revise for!"

' _Well, even though I'm off the hook with education for these three weeks, it wouldn't hurt to put this dumbass in his place..._ ' Kageyama thought to himself, ' _I need to make it seem like I have a lot to do, after all...since I don't know how to become friends with him..._ '

After a while, not having received a reply, Kageyama cocked an eyebrow and tilted his head at the fact that the boy had his head downcast yet again.

"Hey, don't tell me you're still not feeling well?" Kageyama asked cautiously, "Should I call the doctor?" He asked, not managing to see Hinata's face.

' _I didn't say anything that would hurt his feelings...right?_ '

Kageyama began to spiral into deep thought as he held his chin, frowning in curiosity as he pouted. A while had passed like this; having no self awareness, the prince's thinking came to a halt after he heard Hinata give a short and sudden sniff.

The soon to be King's eyes then widened in a mixture of both consternation and perplexity upon seeing the shorter boy, sat a satisfactory distance away from him, begin to shed tears, sniffing repeatedly. As Hinata's tears made contact with the covers, he couldn't help but babble as his lips trembled. The boy then realised Kageyama was staring at him in utter bewilderment with a worried frown.

" _Huh?_ " He asked, touching his cheek softly, " _Ah, shit! What the hell am I crying for?!_ " He added on with a quick, nervous laugh, raising both of his arms to wipe his puffed up, red eyes frantically.

After doing so, he began to repeatedly blink, wanting to get rid of the tears as soon as possible.

" _H-Hey...dum---....Hinata...what's wrong?_ " Kageyama asked worriedly, leaning closer on both of his hands and tilting his head to get a better look at the boy, "Are you seriously not feeling well?"

"I..----...I.." The boy, in reply, had begun to stutter as he looked up at the prince - Kageyama looked at the boy's face to see his cheeks flushed as the inner corners of his eyebrows were ever so slightly raised, "It's not you, d-don't worry, I just..." His words then eventually cut off as he bit his bottom lip with a sniffle, another influx of tears being created.

"H-H-Hey, wait!" Kageyama snapped, waving his arms all over the place, looking around for a tissue box.

' _Great, even a necessity at a time like this isn't available! Do those idiotic servants think I'm not a human or something?!_ '

"I-I'm just..just so...it's...without my family here..I just..."  Hinata shakily explained, hiding his eyes as he began to wipe them with his arms again, "I miss Himawari No Okoku...I miss my home...I'm doing nothing but causing trouble.. _I should have gone with them...I shouldn't have come here..._ "

With one eye squinted, Kageyama was at a loss for words, lips parted. However, it didn't last for long, as he then changed his expression to a neutral one.

" _Yeah, you're right. You shouldn't have come here at all._ "

Hinata lowered his arms yet again to look up at Kageyama, who was sat in his original position, arms crossed and looking away; Hinata's eyes, as reflective as the floors within the castle, then began to well up with more tears after what the soon to be king before him had said, causing him to lower his head. He could acknowledge the fact that his eyes were stinging slightly too.

Kageyama then stood up silently and made his way over to the boy, going under the covers yet again and sitting by his side, causing Hinata to look over to his right, staring at him in surprise.

" _W--what are you?----_ "

" _But you did. So there's no helping it._ " Kageyama continued simply with a slight sigh, " _And if you're going to be staying in my kingdom, I don't want to see you cry ever again..._ " He ordered sternly, " _Only the strong are victors....so don't cry anymore...honestly, dumbass! You're a prince, so stop acting so shameful!_ "

' _Well, this should do it...or something...Hopefully I got the message across..._ ' Kageyama thought to himself uneasily.

He then glanced over at Hinata to see the boy blinking at him, his mouth hanging slightly open as he quietly gasped. The boys tears had disappeared as well as the upcoming ones; the underneath of his eyes remained slightly red and swollen, however.

Kageyama's eye then twitched in irritation.

"Tha--thank---"

"Geh! The hell is up with that reaction!? You're making me even more uneasy when you don't say anything, you know!" Kageyama informed with a snap, head-locking the smaller boy who began to wriggle around.

"H-Hey, Kageyama! I was in the middle of--- _Actually, I'm soaking! And so are you! Get off! You lose your temper way too much!_ " Hinata pointed out in a slight snigger, "Ah, I'm dying! I'm dying, Kageyama! You're killing me!"

" _Good!_ "

" _You're cruel!_ "

" _Deal with it!_ "

" _I swear I'll get my revenge on you one day!_ "

" _Hah! I'd like to see you try!_ "

" _We'll see who admits defeat first, then!_ "

" _You're on, dumbass! Dumbass Hinata!_ "

" _Bakageyama!_ "

* * *

 "Hey, Hinata, are you hungry?" 

"Hm? Oh, yeah. In fact, I'm starving! Why? Don't tell me, it's dinner time already!?"

"...Clearly not, you imbecile; it's lunch. I've got a slice of strawberry cheesecake and a sandwich on my desk over there. You can have 'em both."

"Woah, really?! Thanks, Kageyama!"

"Why are you thanking me, dumbass? I'm only giving it to you because I feel like it.  _ **Café au lait is better than the two put together.**_ "

* * *

"Haha, good job, Tobio Kaiser! You're moving pretty well today!"

"Marvellous, Your Highness! Absolutely marvellous! Bravo, bravo!"

_'.."Tobio Kaiser"...You've gotta be kidding me..that's so lame..pfft! I can't believe he actually named his horse that..Still, despite the ridiculous name he gave that horse, they're not bad at all..'_

As the two teenage princes were outside, far beyond the unnecessarily spacious garden (which covered over three acres of land) located behind the Kageyamas' castle, Hinata found himself sat down on a patch of growing daisies within a field (it too, like the garden, being over three acres in measurement). With the sky painted like a professional canvas, colours of orange and blue were merging together, telling those throughout the kingdom it was sunset. A few birds could be heard tweeting with their melodic voices, as there were around nine servants accompanying both of the princes, and cheering His Highness, Prince Kageyama Tobio, on, for he was practising his horse riding at this current moment.

Hinata watched the older boy majestically ride with his horse as he was leaning forward, hands on both sides of his cheeks; with his elbows balanced on his knees, his face bore an expression of fatigue.

Having changed his outfit from top to bottom, the orange-haired prince was thankful that the servants went through the trouble of giving him a gown and retrieving his own clothes from his suitcase, which he had no idea as to where it was located, let alone the room he would be staying in for these three weeks.

Of course, himself and Kageyama had a rather difficult time in explaining themselves to the servants who had walked into Kageyama's bedchamber to see the two Prince's in the bed, under the covers, and mostly naked - with a shudder, Hinata remembered that Kageyama had somehow managed to convince them it wasn't what they thought, and he was, at that point, thankful the guy was a genius. 

 _'But still, their taste was a bit....off...'_ Hinata couldn't help but think to himself, looking down at what he was wearing; his mother had insisted that he should take formal wear, as it was to be expected of every prince.

_'Out of everything, they had to choose... **this**...'_

Tugging on his black blazer, which was neatly buttoned up (as was the pale yellow button up shirt he wore beneath, with a black, fitted neck tie), the boy internally groaned; he absolutely hated formal attire. The black shoes he wore weren't his style, and the black trousers he wore were rather tight.

Not to mention seeing Kageyama turn his head away, trying to stifle his laughter upon seeing his new outfit, when they had gotten changed - it didn't make his matters any better. The boy told Hinata that he should become his court jester when he would be crowned king, and that he'd pay him handsomely.

_'That Egocentric King...making a fool out of me....curse him!'_

"Hey, Kageyama, you've been riding that thing for a gazillion hours now; and it's kind of breezy...don't you think we should go inside?" He called out in monotone.

At that moment, the horse with white hair, resembling that of purity and snow, was about to rush past Hinata; that is, until it had its head tugged back by his rider, to which it obliged and stopped in front of the intimidated prince, who was looking up at it.

Hinata cocked an eyebrow upon seeing Kageyama blink down at him curiously; the prince wore a navy blue jacket with golden fitted epaulettes on the shoulders, as well as black trousers. As he had a firm grip on the reins, Kageyama tilted his head slightly.

"Hm? It's not like I'm forcing you to sit out here? Go back inside if you want." He replied simply, "And also, 'gazillion' isn't a word." He added on, "Granted, it's often used for an unspecified, and not to mention, very large number, for example, like a million, billion, and trillion - but still, I don't deem or class it as a word."

"..H-Hah...I see..." Hinata replied with a short nod, eyes squinted, "But y'know, even if I wanted to, I have no idea where anything is in this place!" He informed, making hand gestures, "Honestly, is it really necessary to have so much land?!" He added on in question, gesturing yet again as he looked around the field. The servants had made themselves scarce, hands behind their backs, awaiting any orders.

"Of course it is; we have to show how much power we have, after all." Kageyama replied, jumping off of his saddle and standing in front of Hinata.

"It took over half an hour to pass through the gardens in order to come here, though!" Hinata whined, "I also don't wanna walk back for over half an hour by myself!"

"If Tobio Kaiser can handle walking for half an hour, then so can you. You managed to make your way here the first time, so I'm sure you can manage on your way back."

"Well yeah, but the horse had you with it! I was just tagging along behind you two.... _Actually, why the hell didn't we ride on it to come here?!_ "

"Dumbass, you think I'd let anybody ride Tobio Kaiser? You should be thankful I walked and didn't leave you behind," Kageyama replied in monotone, causing Hinata to shift uncomfortably and stand up, "So, what? You want me to walk you back?" He added on in bemusement with a cocked eyebrow.

"Well!---" Hinata cut himself off and then gave a small nod as he looked down at the floor, shuffling his feet on the grass, "Please.." He added on after a few seconds in a mutter, "Look, I know you're busy and stuff, and you helped me feel better about my homesickness when you didn't have to, but this is the last thing I'll ask of you! I swear!" The boy rambled, clapping his hands together and bowing.

Kageyama, totally taken aback, blinked in surprise at the boy.

After a while of just standing there, Hinata still bowing down, Kageyama kissed his teeth and looked away with a pout.

"You're lucky that it's dinner time..I'm kinda hungry.." He muttered to Hinata, looking down at his obviously expensive watch, causing the shorter prince to look up at him with a beam, "C'mon. You'll have the honour of riding Tobio Kaiser once--and only once!" He repeated, gripping his saddle and jumping over on the horse, "I don't want him catching your bad luck!" He teased with a menacing smirk.

".. _'Bad luck'_ \--Hey!" Hinata snapped, face flushing in embarrassment, "Just whose fault do you think that is?! I'll have you know my luck is of a very high level!" He retorted, walking up to the horse and gripping the saddle - the prince found himself trying to jump up, but of course, due to his height, no avail. Kageyama couldn't help but chuckle to himself quietly as he looked away.

"Pff--you say it's of a 'high level', but it seems to me that your height doesn't agree," Kageyama replied.

" _Hey!_ " Hinata ordered, gritting his teeth, "Stop laughing!"

"I'm not! Honestly! I swe----- ** _PFFT, AHHA!_** "

" _BAKAGEYAMA! KAGEYAMA, YOU IDIOT!_ " Hinata yelled out instantly, turning on his heel and dashing off towards the castle.

" _Wai--hey!_ " The soon to be king called out, " _Where are you going, dumbass!?_ "

" _AWAY FROM YOU!_ " Hinata called back, causing Kageyama's eye to twitch.

"So you did have energy in the end..idiot.." He muttered, jumping off of Tobio Kaiser yet again - he then began to chase after the boy, turning his head around and ordering the servants to put Tobio Kaiser back in his stable, to which they gave frantic nods.

" _Hey, wait up, dumbass!_ "

" _No way, Bakageyama! I'm totally going to beat you!_ "

" _HAH!? SO IT SUDDENLY TURNED INTO A RACE?!_ "

" _YEAH, AND RIGHT NOW, IT'S HINATA 1, BAKAGEYAMA 0!_ "

* * *

"Your Highness', the main course for this evening is to come in a minute.”

“ _Do hurry it up..._ ”

“ _Thank you!_ ”

The voices which spoke resounded softly throughout one of the many dining rooms in which Prince Hinata Shouyou had yet to chart within the castle of Jikochuu. 

With warmth radiating around the room, the four golden chandeliers (hanging from the pearl coloured ceiling, with carvings of cherubs in the corners) were dimly lit; however, due to the fireplace’s contents burning passionately, there was no problem when it came to the stimulation of one’s sight. In fact, it was pleasantly easy going on one’s eyes. As the orange haired prince (sat not all that far away from the fireplace) had his hands in his laps, he felt a sense of toasty comfort as he was currently seated at the dining table with a nervous smile.

As he slowly swayed his legs back and forth, shoes repeatedly brushing against the fancy maroon carpet, Hinata managed to sneak a few glances around the room here and there with squinted eyes.

The scented vanilla candles placed in their antique, golden holders, as well as the red and white roses placed in their vases caught his eye; such accessories made the dining table look full to him. Not to mention the starter of fruits and cheese, cutlery, plates with napkins on top of them, and wine glasses. He was pretty sure half of the cutlery he saw there wasn’t covered in his etiquette lessons; there was also the case of the five chairs on both sides of the table, as well as the respectable one on both ends of it.

Needless to say Hinata, sat on the end, was opposite Kageyama, who was on the other end, meaning there was quite a distance between the two, as the table was extremely long in length.

It kind of caught Hinata off guard, how the room went by the colour scheme of red and brown, too, since Kageyama’s room was pure navy blue and gold. There seemed to be a lot of woodwork involved, too.

‘ _Random thought, granted, but…It’s just so fancy…_ ’ The prince thought to himself, still looking around, trying to take the sight in. It seemed that no matter which room he walked into within the castle, all he could do was just stare in awe and compliment it.

“We have around 25 more dining rooms in the castle...each one even more extravagant than the last.” Kageyama began suddenly, causing the shorter boy to give a slight jump and snap out of his trance, instantly whipping his head around to look at Kageyama.

“..I see.” Hinata said after a minute or so with a small nod.

And the conversation was practically that.

As Kageyama sat up with a straight posture, he couldn’t help but frown at the lack of development between his and Hinata’s relationship. The prince had yet to hear the word ‘friend’ come out of Hinata’s mouth, which irked him to a rather extreme extent, as his glare towards the shorter prince’s direction became even more apparent.

Hinata, upon seeing the boy’s random projection of anger through facial expression, gulped in fear, bringing his arms up in a karate-like motion.

“ _Wh-What, Bakageyama? Y-you wanna fight?_ ” the boy asked warily with a fearful frown.

Kageyama blinked at Hinata’s sudden fear, sighing with a momentary face palm. He then slumped in his chair, placing his hand on his cheek; as he gazed at the fireplace, he began to think of how their relationship had developed since the moment they met.

Of course, in the end, he had decided that maybe a friendship forming between them was impossible.

They were two _very_ different people, after all.

Hinata, after noticing the older boy’s sudden change in attitude, blinked curiously, tilting his head, hands in his lap again.

“Kageyama?”

“What, dumbass?”

“ ** _AH!_** ” Hinata called out after a minute with a menacing grin, resulting in Kageyama to give a small jump at the boy’s sudden outburst, “I bet the reason why you’re so on edge is ‘cause you’re totally jealous I won the race before, isn't it?” He asked with an obnoxious enthusiasm, something telling Kageyama that the boy was absolutely fixed on that assumption.

“Hah?” Kageyama asked with a cocked eyebrow, “Are you stupid? Of course no----“

“Man, to think you’d get upset over such a thing! I’m surprised,  _your Egocentric Highness!_ ”

Kageyama’s eye twitched at that as he sat up straight yet again.

“ _Excuse me_ , but I’ll have you know that  _I, the soon to be king, do_   _not_  get upset over such trivial matters!” The taller prince clarified, “And we both fully well know that  ** _I_**   won that race!” He added on, pointing his thumb at his chest, causing Hinata to snort and look away, waving his hand in dismissal.

“Pfft---yeah, yeah! Whatever you say, Kageyama-kun! You can’t fool me!”

“Hmph, whatever!” Kageyama pouted as he looked away in annoyance.

Hinata then couldn’t help but pause as he looked at the boy’s unamused expression, soon after beginning to laugh wholeheartedly as he clutched his stomach, taking Kageyama by surprise as he sneaked a glance at the boy.

‘ _It’s kind of…like I’m looking at summer when he laughs like that…it’s creepy.._ ’

It was at this moment that Kageyama then shook his head rapidly, getting rid of such a pathetic thought.

After a while of meaningless chatter (most of it being done by Hinata), the orange-haired prince’s attention had turned to the dining chairs as he had begun to feel the chair’s wooden frame and red felt. It seemed that dinner was taking longer than the servant had told them.

“Woah..It’s so shiny..” The boy breathed out, tracing his fingertips along the edges of the chair frame in mesmerisation. Kageyama looked at the boy’s fingertips as they were ever so slightly touching the frame.

“It’s bocote wood.” Kageyama informed with a slight sneer, hand on his cheek as he stared at Hinata’s awestruck face with a smirk.

“Y-yeah, I could tell! Trust Bokuto-san's kingdom to produce such a rich quality of wood!"

“...You're _that_ close to him, that you just _know_ it's from his kingdom?"

"You mean Bokuto-san? Oh, yeah! Kind of! He's like an older brother to me! Helps me out with tons of stuff - just like Kuroo-san from Nekoma Kingdom! Lemme tell you, they're the best duo! Kenma's my best friend, too! We often hang out altogether!"

"...I see...well, I've spoken to Fukurodani's Akaashi-san once or twice."

"Eh, really? How'd you two meet?"

"Tsk!--I, uh...I...choked on the food at one of Fukurodani's royal balls...and he gave me a cup of water..."

"..Pft--!"

"Shut it, Dumbass Hinata! But anyway, like you knew, it's imported from Fukurodani. Rather impressive craftsmanship, right?”

"Yeah, it really is! And for it to be made into a bunch of chairs…must’ve cost a fortune…”

"Well, it’s to be expected. My kingdom’s far more powerful and richer than yours, after all.”

It was at this moment that Hinata tentatively locked eyes with Kageyama; the soon to be King wondered if the boy would take it personally & begin to whine about his rudeness. In the end, he decided to anticipate it.

Surprisingly enough, Hinata merely gave a rigid nod, taking the soon to be king by slight surprise.

“Still,” The shorter prince replied, “My kingdom’s not one to be underestimated.”

“Oh?” Kageyama mused with an expression of pure boredom, nevertheless a slight hint of curiosity to his tone, “And what makes you say so?”

“Sure our castle or army isn’t as big as yours, but it’s still big. Bigger than most kingdoms, anyway. _We'll reach Jikochuu's level in no time._ "

Before Kageyama could even have the chance to reply, the butlers strolled in with their food trolleys as the footmen tended to serve the silver platters with dome-like lids.

* * *

 The soon to be king was awestruck at what the shorter Prince sat opposite him had said.

_‘Of all the things to say to me…he has the nerve to say something like that?!’_

Kageyama’s eye twitched as he stared at Hinata, who had begun to fidget around uncomfortably.

The footmen (wearing their white gloves) took the dome-like lids off of the platters, naming foods which the shorter boy had obviously never known existed.

Just then, two very large platters were carried into the room; one placed by Kageyama, the other by Hinata.

“And here we have Plateau de fruits de mer, Your Highness', the main course,” A servant introduced as the servants took the lid off delicately, “As you can tell, it’s very large in size, taking up most of the table, so please do not hesitate when it comes to filling your stomachs.”

“Pl—plate--de mer…r-right, right, yeah, I got it! Thank you!”

‘ _You clearly don’t, you idiot.._.’ Kageyama thought in disbelief.

As the footmen had finished serving the food (as well as educating the short prince as to what the dishes were called and what they consisted of), they all gave a bow and proceeded to leave the room, a few servants stood by the door ready to attend to the two princes’ every beck and call.

With his thoughts drifting, remembering the etiquette lessons his mother practically forced him to attend, Hinata suddenly became much more aware of his mannerisms and surroundings, letting an almost inaudible, nervous sigh escape from his lips.

It felt as though all of the portraits which were hung up (yet again depicting the Kageyamas’ ancestors) had their eyes on him, judging every move he made. Not to mention Kageyama himself, who now wore a slight smirk, hand on his cheek.

“Go on, eat up. Like they said, we’ve got soup, Plateau de fruits de mer, other platters, dessert, salad, side dishes, the whole lot.” The taller boy insisted, nodding his head, eye’s gleaming; as the soon to be King of Jikochuu was intently eyeing the boy, something told Hinata that it wasn’t an offer, but more like an order.

 _Unfortunately for Hinata, seafood dishes (and seafood in general) like_ _Plateau de fruits de mer, were the one thing he could not eat, no matter how hard he tried. Just the smell alone was making the boy want to throw up. And of course, it being the main dish, the boy knew he couldn’t avert not having some, for he didn’t want to come across as ungrateful. That, and he knew Kageyama would surely comment on it._

Hinata then stiffly nodded and began his meal; there were three forks on his left, decreasing in size, as well as the napkin he took off of his plate. The biggest fork was the first one closest to his plate, the medium sized one the second, and the smallest fork was the third one, farthest away from his plate.

‘ _Always remember to eat with the flatware farthest away from your plate.._ ’ The boy thought to himself in concentration; just once, he wanted to show Kageyama that there was something he was capable of due to his royal lifestyle.

After putting some salad on his plate, shrugging off the servants who were giving weird looks to one another, as well as refusing the servants who had insisted they should be the ones to put the salad on his plate, Hinata took the smallest fork, causing Kageyama to raise an eyebrow in curiosity.

“Oh, so you  _do_  know your etiquette.” He commented, causing Hinata to look at him with a slight frown.

“’Course I do, Bakageyama,” Hinata began, plunging his fork into the salad on his plate, taking a bite, “It’s compulsory for all royalty to know their etiquette.” 

“Uh-huh, don’t talk with your mouth full.” Kageyama retorted with an amused smirk, causing Hinata to gulp down the salad he was chewing during his sentence, face flushing in embarrassment, “ _Also, I was being sarcastic; everyone knows you don’t have the salad first._ ” Kageyama added on in amusement, pointing repeatedly, “It’s always the soup first.”

“Wh—Really!?” Hinata asked, looking down at the salad on his plate, his flushed face becoming more apparent.

Kageyama then began his meal too, taking the spoon on his right, which was the piece of cutlery farthest away from his plate. There were also three knives before the spoon, yet again decreasing in size, the largest one being the one closest to his plate, the medium sized one following suite, and then smallest one by his spoon.

The boy had then ordered for a servant (whom obliged all too enthusiastically) to pour some soup for him in a bowl; then, taking the spoon, the boy had begun to eat (or drink in this case) with composure as Hinata stared at him.

After finishing his soup, he cocked an eyebrow at the boy.

“What is it?”

“No, I was just making mental notes to myself for future reference…” Hinata explained, not tearing his eyes away from Kageyama, “That, and…” He began eyeing the boy up and down, “You’re  _such_  a dork.”

“Nope, I’m just better than you at everything.”

“Hah, you wish!”

The two couldn’t help but smile at each other, going back to eating their meal in silence.

* * *

“ _Oh yeah, that reminds me!_ ” Hinata began, mouth full yet again, causing Kageyama to frown slightly at him, “Oh, my bad!” Hinata gulped his food down with a beam, “So yeah, anyway, _as_ I was saying!”

“Hm?” Kageyama inquired, not taking his eyes off of his food as he continued to eat.

“When did King Daichi last visit your kingdom?”

Kageyama raised an eyebrow at such a random question. He then shrugged it off and began tapping on the table repeatedly as he thought.

“Well…Like I said before, I don’t see him that often…but he last visited…”

Now that Kageyama thought about it, the last time he saw the king of Karasuno Kingdom in person was when he was 14, and it was on Daichi’s coronation day, at the age of 18. Come to think of it, on the coronation day, that was when Daichi had told Kageyama that Sugawara was working for his family. He was kind of surprised that he had remembered such a trivial little fact, and promised Daichi he’d send Sugawara his regards on that same day.

_Even if it was three years late._

“Three years ago.” Kageyama replied simply.

“WH—“ Hinata jumped out of his seat at that and pointed, causing Kageyama to tilt his head.

“What?” He asked with a cocked eyebrow.

“You can’t just say you don’t see him that often, only to tell me you haven’t seen him in three years! That’s crazy! Aren’t you excited!?”

“Of course I am, dumbass. But it’s nothing all that special. We write to each other quite a bit. I got a message from him around a week ago, so…” Kageyama trailed off with his sentence and shrugged, causing Hinata to sit back down in his seat with a sigh, "Anyway, the entire kingdom is celebrating your arrival today.” the older Prince brought up with a smirk, “Must be nice to be the center of attention in my kingdom, huh?”

“Yeah, the decorations around the kingdom were amazing!” Hinata beamed, “Although…” He paused for a minute, causing Kageyama to blink curiously, “While we were travelling through the kingdom to get to the castle, no one crowded around the carriage. There was no one by the castle gates either. It was kind of surreal. Usually we’re greeted with cheering and masses of people.”

“It’s a nice change from the usual, overexcited subjects though, right?” Kageyama asked, “Most of the time the subjects of Jikochuu keep to themselves. They know people of royal blood need their space. So they celebrate amongst themselves.” He explained.

“Yeah, I heard about something like that from Sugawara-san. He said he was celebrating with his family tonight; as is the entire kingdom.” Hinata informed with a smile, “He’s so nice!”

Kageyama raised his eyebrows in surprise, leaning forward on the table ever so slightly.

"…When did you get the chance to meet Sugawara-san?" The taller boy asked curiously.

“Oh, you know him? You don’t seem like the type to get to know your servants!” Hinata grinned, “But I met him during our game of hide and seek today! What about you?” He asked.

“…I met him today...before your arrival.” Kageyama muttered.

“I see!”

* * *

As the two boys continued to eat, Hinata realized he still had the Plateau de fruits de mer to deal with.

His platter consisted of Oysters, Shrimp, Lobster, Periwinkle, Crab, Prawns, Langoustine, Mussels, Scallops, and Clams. Of course, when the servant had listed such seafoods, Hinata’s eyes began to rotate in dizziness and nausea.

‘ _W-what the hell is this...I have no clue what these are..._ ’ Hinata thought to himself in fear, staring at the langoustines and their beady eyes, which seemed to be staring into the boy’s soul. There seemed to be a lot of eyes on the platter, causing the boy to feel even more on edge and judged.

He then began to cough as he took his glass of water, looking at Kageyama as he drank; the taller boy didn’t seem to have a problem with seafood, remaining as composed as ever, but something told Hinata that he clearly knew about his seafood handicap.

“Have some.” Kageyama suddenly insisted, eyes as stern yet composed as ever.

“I-I’m gonna!” The orange-haired boy snapped in a mere stammer, “Just gimmie a sec!”

“You know, anyone watching your mannerisms right now might get the impression that you’re scared of dead food.” Kageyama informed with a sneer.

“WH-What!? Don’t be ridiculous!” Hinata choked on his water shortly as he looked away with a laugh, placing the glass on the table, “Of course I’m not scared!” He ensured.

“Then eat.” Kageyama retorted in anticipation.

Hinata, after gulping, hesitantly took an oyster off of the platter, grabbing the middle fork on his left.

‘ _The middle fork is for fish…so it should count for seafood overall…_ ’

“Okay…” He breathed out, leaning towards the oyster, then back, as if it was a reflex; he then groaned and leaned close to it yet again, using his fork to scrape off the meat.

After counting 3,2,1, the boy then tilted his head back, slurping the oyster’s contents, causing Kageyama to give a surprised ‘oh’; bringing his head back down, the boy placed the now empty shell on his plate, facial expression unable to be defined.

Kageyama couldn’t help but give a discreet snigger as he chewed on his food, eyes unable to look away from Hinata. It was at this moment that the shorter boy began to repeatedly gag, bringing his napkin up to his mouth and wiping it; after grabbing his glass of water and chugging it down, he then covered his mouth with a nervous laugh.

“How was it?” Kageyama asked in amusement, hand now on his cheek as his elbow rested on the table.

“ _Interesting_..” Hinata replied hoarsely. The younger prince then snapped out of his nausea and jumped up out of his seat yet again, walking over to Kageyama with a frown, “ _You!_ ” He snapped, pointing, “ _YOU KNEW I DON’T LIKE SEAFOOD, DIDN'T YOU?!_ ”

“ _Well, my_   _studying told me that much about you._ ” Kageyama replied with a grin, causing Hinata to stop in his tracks, cocking an eyebrow suspiciously, “But do calm down and have something else. There's a variety of food, after all.” He added on. Hinata then blinked and looked at the table, softening his expression, “It was a joke, dumbass.”

“ ** _I’m so going to get you back!_** ”

* * *

“Stop following me, dumbass!”

“But I have no clue where my bedroom is, Bakageyama!”

As the two Princes made their way through the halls of the castle (Hinata walking by Kageyama’s side), Hinata patted his stomach with a sigh of relief, beaming.

“But man, that sure was a good dinner! I’m surprised I couldn’t devour it all! What a waste!”

“Hmph.”

“What?” Hinata asked with a raised eyebrow; Kageyama shook his head as he looked out of the windows they passed, which now had their navy blue curtains tied to the side; one could see how the moon illuminated the night sky, the stars and their constellations scattered around the dark blue canvas. Slowly, a few lights here and there were turning off in the distance, the kingdom of Jikochuu preparing to sleep. The hallways within the castle of Jikochuu were now dimly lit with candles.

“It sure is beautiful. You’ve got a great view in this kingdom.” Hinata commented with a smile, hands behind his back. Kageyama turned his head to look down at the boy, who blinked up at him, still smiling. After a while of silence, the taller boy then put his hands in his pockets and looked back out of the window, a slight smile becoming apparent.

“Yeah, it is.” He replied warmly. Hinata then blinked at him in surprise, tensing up.

“Wh-What the hell!!” The shorter Prince called out, jumping and pointing in front of Kageyama, who casually turned his head around to look down at him; it seemed like Hinata’s outbursts were getting easier to deal with, “You really ought to smile more genuinely like that! Your face is usually so scary!” The orange-haired boy said, motioning to back away depending on the taller boy's reply.

“ ** _Well sorry, but_**   ** _I was born with this face!_** ” Kageyama snapped, flushing in anger. Hinata then grinned and let out a few sniggers, which developed into full on laughter.

“Idiot! You really are an idiot, Bakageyama!”

“Speak for yourself, dumbass! Dumbass Hinata!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~*Due to the amount of messages I've received, usually questions regarding this fic, I thought I might put this short, little FAQ thing to make everyone’s lives easier!*~
> 
> 1\. When will you update the fic with new chapters/when do you usually update?
> 
> It's rather difficult for me to give a definite answer, unfortunately! I haven't set a fixed day for new chapter releases, so my updates aLWAYS vary, which I myself absolutely hate! I know how hard it is to be patient as you wait for a fic that you like (which hasn't really gotten anywhere with development) to update! V__V;;ll
> 
> Usually, when I update this fic with one chapter, I update it the next day with another! But to be honest, it just depends on how well the story and ideas flow ^//^
> 
> But if I had to say, I'd say that this fic updates maybe once/twice every month/two? Hopefully that's the gist of my answer, but nonetheless, please do stick around!~ c:
> 
> 2\. Does/Will this fic have smut??
> 
> Unfortunately, so far, no, this fic does not have smut; however, I definitely will incorporate some within it! I just feel like I should focus more on developing Hinata & Kageyama's relationship first, as well as characterization of the characters!
> 
> Also, in general, I get really flustered while writing sex scenes, and I regret to say I'm not all that good at it, so I need time & studying to work on my smut writing skills V//V;;


	4. Thank You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧HELLO THERE DEAR READERS! 
> 
> AS USUAL, THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR YOUR WONDERFUL SUPPORT!! I rEALLY APPRECIATE IT, SO PLEASE ENJOY THE CHAPTER!~･ﾟ✧

His eyes fluttered open to find them staring up at a ceiling.

With authentic golden borders and recessed lighting fixtures surrounding the layered white ceiling, a relatively large silver chandelier hung from the top, its jewels resembling that of snowflakes. There were also discreet carvings on the ceiling of diamond patterns, as well as cherubs.

“ _Huh..?_ ”

As a quiet, questioning sigh was let out, Prince Hinata Shouyou’s head hung low. Rubbing his eye with the sleeve of his orange pyjama shirt, one could tell that there was a lack of pressure being applied, due to his drowsy state. He then began dozing off for a few seconds, face about to dive into the comfortably soft mattress and bedsheets (colours of red and golden patterns being printed onto them), until he made himself sit up straight with repeated blinks, slapping his cheeks lightly with both hands a few times.

“Gotta get up, gotta get up---ah…”

Hinata then stopped himself from saying any more as he began to look around the bedchamber.

“I forgot…I’m in Jikochuu…”

One could easily tell the colour scheme of the bedroom the boy was in was gold and red.

The silk curtain drapes were slightly frilly, as they were a striking shade of red. However, due to it covering the window, hardly any sunlight was passing through - but the chirping of the birds could be heard, telling the boy that the kingdom was now waking up. The curtain headboard was ruby, whilst its arch was amber. The wallpaper of the bedroom was mainly white with golden patterns scattered here and there, except for the red, square patch with a golden border behind Hinata’s bed.

‘ _I was walking through the halls with Kageyama after dinner, and I ended up being guided to my room by a servant..._ ‘

The sudden image of Kageyama’s slight smile came to mind, causing Hinata to gulp uneasily.

“It took me by surprise…” He muttered to himself in fear as he clutched his stomach, shaking his head, “I ought to be careful around Bakageyama.”

The young prince’s attention was then directed towards the end of his bed, which had a trunk laying there.

On top of it were his suitcases, which had been opened, and remained empty. He then looked over at the wooden wardrobe on the other side of the room.

‘ _My clothes must be in there…and my towel and toothbrush is…_ ’

His thoughts then trailed off as he began looking around, and found himself stop when the white and golden door by his bed caught his attention.

‘ _In there, huh? Well, might as well shower._ ’

“But still, what a chore…couldn't they have put my room right next to Kageyama’s?” He asked himself in a low mutter, scratching his stomach lazily as he kicked the bedsheets off from covering his legs.

‘ _I’m a floor above his room, so I’ve gotta go downstairs just to see him..._ ’

His complaints then came to a halt as he heard the bedroom door open; blinking curiously, he recognized the person who walked in with a shimmering golden food trolley as a servant.

 _'Was he waiting for me to wake up while listening outside?_ _No way…they’re fast!_ ’

Directing his attention towards the trolley, the boy noticed the assortment of food and drink, causing his mouth to water; in addition, the smell of croissants and French toast was to die for.

"Good morning, Your Highness," The butler began humbly, bringing the trolley to a stop by the boy's bedside.

After stepping away from it, the servant bowed.

"I do hope you had a pleasant sleep." The man commented, straightening his stance yet again, hands behind his back.

“Oh—uh…well, yeah!” Hinata beamed, snapping out of his food-crazed trance, scratching the back of his head.

“I am honoured to hear such wonderful news.” The man replied with a smile, bowing again.

“But, uh…” Hinata looked over at the curtains, causing the servant to look worried.

“Is something the matter, Your Highness?”

“No, no, no!” Hinata reassured quickly, “But, uh, I was just thinking that…if it’s not a problem, of course, someone could come and open the curtains for me every morning? It doesn’t matter if I’m woken up by them,  due to doing so! It’s just that I find myself in a better mood when I can see outside of my window first thing!”

“Oh, of course, Your Highness!” The servant said, hurrying over to the curtains and tying them to the side swiftly, causing the dim sunlight to appear, “You see, their Highness' aren’t very fond of sunlight, so by their request, most of the curtains within the castle aren't tied to the side in the morning! But I’ll be sure to find a servant and have them do that for you every morning, starting tomorrow! I'm terribly sorry you had to request such a thing with embarrassment!” The servant said with melancholy, bowing down yet again.

“Ahh—uh, talking like that is kinda!—“ Hinata waved his hands in front of him left and right with an uncomfortable laugh, “Just call me Hinata! And there’s no need to be so uptight!”

The servant looked up at the boy with surprise.

After a few seconds, he coughed and stood up straight, unable to look at the prince directly in the eye.

“A-As you wish, Your Highne---…..Hin—Hina---…Hinata-Sama.”

“Yup, that’s fine!” Hinata replied with a grin, “So! What’s up with all this food?” He asked in anticipation and curiosity.

“Oh—uh, well, it’s your breakfast for this morning, Hinata-Sama..”

“Wah—really?!”

“Y-Yes..”

“So, so, so! What’s the selection to choose from?” Hinata asked, practically jumping on the bed.

“Oh—uh, yes.” The butler was reminded, gesturing to the food, “Today we have drop scones, also called scotch pancakes, as well as French toast; oh, and chocolate croissants, if I may add.”

“Chocolate croissants! I want some!” The prince beamed.

“As you command, Hinata-Sama.” The butler bowed, “Shall I assist you in changing, Your Grace?” He added on in question.

Hinata blinked in realisation at what he was just asked, before shaking his head repeatedly.

“Ah---uh..n-no…it’s fine…I was going to take a shower after this anyway, so…” He stammered out, looking away uncomfortably.

“Then I will call a servant to place the gown you were given yesterday on your bed. It has been cleaned and dried, so please do not worry.” The servant reassured.

“Ah, yes! Then, please do that!”

“In addition, your current clothing can be placed in the laundry basket within the bathroom. Also, as I am sure you have guessed, your clean clothing has been pressed and is hung up in the wardrobe over there.”

“Yeah, thank you!”

“Also, Hinata-Sama, regarding your breakfast, what would you like to drink, if I may ask? We have Earl Grey tea, coffee made from the freshest coffee beans, along with any fresh fruit juice you wish to have this morning.”

“Uh…well…what d’you recommend?” The boy asked.

“Well...his Highness Prince Tobio had Earl Grey tea yesterday, and he quotes it was a wise choice, since he chose it..”

Hinata couldn’t help but scoff with a smile, looking out of the window.

“Typical.” He muttered, causing the servant to tilt his head in curiosity.

“Hinata-Sama?”

“Huh? Oh, no, never mind!” Hinata beamed, turning his head back to face the servant, “Then, Earl Grey tea is fine!”

“As you command, Hinata-Sama.”

* * *

“Now then, if I remember correctly…”

The short prince trailed off as he muttered to himself. Roaming a particular hall, wearing his usual white button up shirt, raven knee length shorts, as well as baggy yellow jumper, he couldn't help but squint his eyes, upon being faced with a particular door.

“He’s in...here?” He questioned, opening it.

After walking through, and inspecting the room’s interior design, Hinata looked around for Kageyama curiously.

A few moments had passed, until Hinata blinked in realisation.

The soon to be king was sat at his desk, the upper half of his body leaning over it, and looking down at a book - with his back facing the shorter boy, Hinata could see  that Kageyama was still in his silk pyjamas.

“Hey, Kageyama!” The orange-haired prince snapped, “You’re still studying, even though I'm here? I told you, you need to relax a bit more! Look, you haven’t even changed out of your pyjamas!” He added on, scolding the taller prince with a frown, walking towards him.

“D-Dumbass Hinata…you’re too loud…and don’t you know how to knock..?”

“ ** _W—WHAA!_** ”

Kageyama had turned his head around halfway to face the boy excruciatingly slowly; as slick sweat was visible on his face, the soon to be King’s seemed to be flushed as he was panting gruffly, as well as unevenly.

“D-Don’t **_‘wha!’_** me!” Kageyama snapped with a frown, “The hell is with you?!”

“I could ask you the same thing! You look scarier than usual!” Hinata retorted in shock, pointing at the boy, keeping a distance from him.

“I think I'm...by definition… _sick._ ” Kageyama informed gravely, looking at the floor as though he had just discovered the secrets of the universe.

“… ** _Huh?_** ” Hinata asked, tilting his head.

“I've been reading up on it just now, and all of the symptoms in this book tell me I have a fever...I think it was because of yesterday…I must have not dried off quick enough, in comparison to you...” Kageyama muttered, causing Hinata to feel a slight sense of guilt in the pit of his stomach.

“Th-then, we should call a doctor!”

Instantaneously, upon hearing Hinata’s suggestion, Kageyama slammed the book shut and stood up.

“No. No doctors. They’ll make a big deal out of nothing. Not to mention the servants. They can’t know I'm ill. At all.” The prince replied sternly, causing Hinata to frown.

“Th-then, what’re you going to do? Just sit here and read up on it?” He asked with a pout, “You’re going to get sicker if you read with a fever!” He added on in warning.

“I just need some sleep, so I’ll be fine.” Kageyama replied, walking over to his bed and getting in with a sigh. Hinata then realized that the taller boy’s bedsheets had changed.

‘ _Well, I did get it damp and dirty...so it’s only natural…dammit! Why am I the one getting guilt tripped!?_ ’

“Um…so what should I do? Uh....Kageyama-kun…hello?” Hinata asked with uncertainty.

The soon to be king was laying on his back, eyes closed with no intention of opening themselves anytime soon, in Hinata's opinion.

“Um…” Hinata trailed off with his sentence, walking up to Kageyama’s bedside.

“What?” Kageyama muttered in annoyance, opening one eye and sending a sharp look towards the boy. Hinata jumped slightly, hands behind his back.

“Oh, uh, I just thought of something I could do while you're recovering - if you need me, I'll be with Sugawara-san---"

“It’s too hot…” Kageyama interrupted in complaint hoarsely.

“Oh, I’ll open the windows for you! Then I’ll be leaving, okay?” Hinata offered with a smile, skipping over to the windows and moving the curtains out of the way to open them, his back facing Kageyama.

The elder prince then sat up and began to unbutton his silk pyjama shirt with droopy eyes.

“No need...Just stay here.” Kageyama muttered.

Hinata then turned his head around curiously.

“Hm? Did you say something-----HEY! _THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!_ ”

“What?” Kageyama asked in annoyance, a frown becoming prominent due to the boy’s loud voice.

“Your fever's going to worsen like this! It's pretty cold today, after all!” Hinata explained as he pointed at the soon to be king.

Kageyama cocked an eyebrow in curiosity as his head was tilted.

The taller boy then chucked his pyjama shirt at the end of his bed, lying back down again.

“Ah, I see.” He replied blankly, closing his eyes.

Hinata felt his eye twitch momentarily, before he let out a sigh of irritation.

“Well then, I've opened the windows for you, so I’ll be going now.” The boy said, walking away from Kageyama’s bedside, “Get well soon, Bakage----“

“Hey, Dumbass Hinata...S _tay by my side._ ”

Hinata abruptly found his movements come to a stop as a force was pulling him back - widening his eyes in shock, the prince turned his head around slowly to find Kageyama sat up and grabbing onto his wrist tightly with a frown, face as red as ever.  
  
“ ** _E-Excuse me?!_** ” Hinata choked out with a tone of disbelief, clearly stupefied.

As he looked down at Kageyama’s hand grabbing onto his wrist, his face had begun to flush in embarrassment. He then pointed at the taller prince with a frown.

“D-Do you have any idea what you’re saying to another guy, Bakageyama?! Let go! Man, it must be worse than I thought! Your fever is making you delusional! Maybe I should call a doctor after all!” He rambled on with a nervous laugh, trying to discreetly wriggle his wrist out of the older boy’s grip (which was an unsuccessful attempt).  
  
“I'm saying stay by my side so you don’t wreck my castle like yesterday, idiot…Just what ** _is_** going on in that brain of yours and its dangerously weird way of thinking?” Kageyama asked hoarsely with an unamused cough, “And no. No doctors. As I said before, they’ll make a big deal out of nothing, and the servants will find out, and spread the news around the kingdom, and then we’ll end up with an avalanche of get well soon presents from them...”

“You... _sure have an imagination._ ” Hinata deadpanned.  
  
“It’s not imagination, it’s the truth!” Kageyama snapped as though he was personally offended, “It happened to my father years ago! He fell ill with a fever, and almost every second, a get well soon present was delivered to the castle’s entrance. Later on, we found out that it was all due to the servants who went around telling the subjects! Most of the time, they keep to themselves, as I said before, but when it comes to people of royal blood falling ill, they’re extreme. Some presents were even delivered from other kingdoms, showing just how quickly the news travels! But in the end, it just turned into a chore for the servants to clean up - so you can never be too careful! That’s why I've always avoided getting ill, no matter what!”  
  
‘ _That, and preparing for the throne...._ ’ Kageyama couldn't help but think.

“Huh…” Was all Hinata replied in amusement, “Still, I kinda get where you’re coming from! Our kingdom’s subjects do the same too. But not quite on your kingdom's level!”  
  
Kageyama then nodded, causing Hinata to blink in recognition.  
  
“W-wait! That means you've never been ill before!?” The shorter prince exclaimed in inquiry with a gape.  
  
Kageyama paused for a while, averting his eyes.  
  
“Yeah…that’s why... _stay by my side_.”  
  
Hinata cocked an eyebrow in confusion as Kageyama’s grip on his wrist grew tighter in desperation.

After a few seconds, Hinata let out a sigh, yanking his wrist free - Kageyama, who obliged silently, fell back onto his multiple pillows.  
  
Hinata then plopped down on the navy blue chair with golden patterns by Kageyama’s bed, hands in his lap.  
  
“Fine. I won’t leave your side.” He muttered quietly as he looked away, feeling as though he was, in a sense, admitting defeat.  
  
‘ _This guy’s lonelier than he looks..._ ’  
  
“Yeah…thank y---“ Kageyama cut himself off before he could say any more, his eyes widening in shock, as did Hinata’s.  
  
" _Were you about to just_ ** _\--_** "  
  
“ _Shut up! No, I wasn’t!_ I'm going to sleep now, so don't make so much noise! In fact, no noise! You can read the books I have on my bookshelf over there to keep quiet! A dumbass like you needs a bit of time for education, anyway!” Kageyama snapped, turning his body on its side, his back now facing the shorter boy.  
  
Hinata couldn’t help but grin as he turned his head around to look at where Kageyama had gestured.  
  
“You’re not hungry are you, Bakageyama?” The boy asked after a minute of silence, turning his head back around.  
  
“No…the servant already gave me my breakfast, a little while before you came in, and it was utter hell; I had to hold in all of my coughs and sneezes so they wouldn’t get suspicious. But I'm full for now.”  
  
“Alright, I got it. Just go to sleep then, Bakageyama.”  
  
“ _That’s what I’m doing!_ ”  
  
“And tell me if you need anything.”  
  
“Alright!”

“And tell me if you do get hungry!”

“Okay, Hinata, I get it.”  
  
“And tell me if you want any medicine!”  
  
“Hinata.”  
  
“Or need a towel for your fever!”  
  
“ _Just shut up, Dumbass Hinata._ ”

* * *

“Wow…he looks so different when he’s sleeping.” Hinata whispered in surprise, “Oh! Haha, so all the stress goes to his eyes and eyebrows! No wonder he looks so calm when he’s not frowning or glaring!”

Hinata couldn't help but poke at the space above Kageyama’s nose and between his eyebrows softly with an amused grin. 

The soon to be king had eventually dosed off into a deep slumber as he slept on his back again, breathing softly with his flushed face.  
  
‘ _Ah! Thank god this guy is in a deep sleep; otherwise he'd kick my ass if he felt me touch him without his permission!_ ’ Hinata thought to himself with a shiver.  
  
“Now then!” He whispered in excitement, jumping up and stretching, “He said he’s already had his breakfast, so I don’t need to worry about his empty stomach!” The boy added on, before beginning to look around curiously, “Still, there’s not much to his room, is there…You can tell he does nothing but study…” He muttered distastefully, looking back at Kageyama’s sleeping face - Hinata couldn't help but grin, “You’re lucky you’re ill, otherwise I would have doodled all over your face by now.” He whispered towards the elder prince.   
  
After staring at Kageyama’s face for a while, Hinata began to think - he walked over to the boy’s desk, opening the book the soon to be king was reading before his arrival. As he flipped through random pages, he sighed out.  
  
“This book is telling me everything I already know…I how to take care of people with fevers…of course I know that much…since Natsu gets ill quite frequently, but…Just how ill is he, anyway? I mean, his face is pretty red...and the area I poked was pretty warm...” He said to himself, “Maybe I should get a thermometer and keep track of his temperature. If he’s rarely ill, it could get pretty serious…” He suggested, before shaking his head.  
  
“No, no, I can’t; I don’t know where to find one within the castle, and I can’t just outright ask the doctors or servants. They’ll get suspicious, and Kageyama said they’d make a big deal out of it...”

The boy then began to pace up and down the bedchamber in annoyance, grabbing his chin with his thumb and index finger.

“And leaving the castle to buy one is out of the question," Hinata  continued on, "Everyone will recognize me, and bombard me with questions as to why I’m buying such a thing, unless I wear a disguise...but where will I find one here? Ah, this isn’t------“

Hinata then instantly cut himself off, remembering one particularly trustworthy servant with a beam.

“Sugawara-san! I can just ask Sugawara-san to bring me one!” 

* * *

“I was sure you were going to be angry about yesterday! The servant had informed me that you wanted to see me, and one of the fellow servants put the notion you were angry with me in my head, so I just couldn’t help but worry!”  
  
“No, no, like I said, I’m not angry with you at all! In fact, it’s the total opposite! I just need a tiny favor, since you’re the only one I can trust here!”  
  
“Of course, Your Highness!”  
  
“ _’Hinata’_!”  
  
“Oh, right! Sorry, Hinata! What is it?”  
  
“I need you to get a thermometer! As well as a ton of medicine for a fever!”  
  
“Huh? Don’t tell me---His Highness is---”  
  
“ ** _Shh!_** ” Hinata called out, putting his hand over Sugawara’s mouth; as he stood on his tiptoes to reach the taller boy, he began to whip his head left and right to see if there were any servants nearby who may be listening in on their conversation as the two stood outside of Kageyama’s bedroom.

Of course, the halls were hollow, and Hinata let out a sigh of relief, retracting his hand away from Sugawara's mouth, now looking up at him.

“That’s right! Kageyama’s ill!”  
  
“Wh—how?” Sugawara whispered, looking over at the door worriedly, causing Hinata to scratch his cheek with his index finger nervously.  
  
“Since we, uh...had a bit of an accidental joint shower together, he’s developed a fever today.” Hinata informed with a slight snicker, “Oh, but you can’t tell another soul this! If you do, it’ll cause us a lot of trouble!” He added on in genuine warning.  
  
Sugawara gave a curious smile as one eyebrow was raised in question; the boy then nodded with a grin.  
  
“I understand. Then, wait here. I’ll see if we have any within the castle, so just stay put!” the elder boy instructed before turning on his heel and hurrying away down the stairs.  
  
“Thank you!” Hinata beamed with a wave. After the elder boy had disappeared, Hinata let out a sigh of relief, “He’s such a kind person, I’m so glad!”

* * *

“Man…just my luck. No medicine, _or_ plasters…Hard to believe, in such a huge castle. The doctors are usually meant to have such things on them, just in case."

“Ahah...But it can’t be helped, Hinata. It’s been years since their Highness' have fallen ill, so there’s no need for it.”

"...Still..." Hinata muttered with a slight frown.

After a while of awkward silence, the prince couldn't help but look up at the elder servant curiously.

“So…if that’s the case, anyway…what about the servants that live in the castle? Don’t they ever need medicine when they get ill?” Hinata inquired.

“Well…I don’t think so.” Sugawara replied, holding his chin in thought, “I mean, I’ve never heard of any servant living at the castle fall ill. And in their Highness’ case, if they think a servant is unfit to serve them, then they just let them go.”

“How cruel.”

“That’s commoner lifestyle for you.”

As they continued to walk on the path leading towards the kingdom, Hinata randomly chattering away about random things, Sugawara noticed how much the boy’s hair stood out, and couldn't help but bring himself to a stop, causing Hinata to do the same, and blink curiously as he turned to face the elder boy.

“Hinata, you said I should get the thermometer and medicine for you, so why did you suddenly decide to join me?” Sugawara asked, “I'm just asking, because I think everyone will notice you in a heartbeat the way you are right now...” He added on with a nervous laugh, "Not to mention the fact that we had to redirect the guards at the gate, just to get past..." He added on quietly.

“Hm? _Ah, you're right! I totally forgot!_ ” Hinata called out in horror, “But I didn't want to be by myself at the castle, and I don’t know how to disguise myself!” He explained, before pausing and tensing up, "That, and...I...kind of owe Kageyama...he helped me out."

After staring at the boy in surprise, and thinking for a few moments, Sugawara couldn't help but smile at the boy's caring nature, and let out a small sigh.

"Then, if you really want to come along, wear my hooded cloak. It’s kind of handy for disguises.” The servant offered, taking it off and placing it around Hinata.

The young prince couldn’t help but gasp in awe upon having it wrapped around him, eyes sparkling. 

“Thank you, Sugawara-san!”

“Just make sure you cover your hair and face, okay?” Sugawara replied with a smile, to which the shorter boy nodded intently, instantly bringing the hood over his face.

“But it’s kinda hard for me to look ahead…” Hinata said, turning his head left and right, “The hood’s too big and covers my eyes, and if I try and pull it back in order to see what’s ahead of me, my hair shows…”

“Then, wanna hold my hand so I can guide you?” Sugawara asked with a teasing grin.

“W---“ Hinata stuttered, instantly uncovering his face with the hood to look up at the boy in confusion.

“I was joking, Hinata.” Sugawara reassured with a warm smile, patting the boy’s back, “I doubt anyone will get suspicious, as long as you keep your head down, and hide your hair. A lot of foreign people enter the kingdom with cloaks and aren't questioned, so you’re safe.”

“...That’s good…”

And Hinata brought the hood over his face yet again. 

* * *

“My..t-this piece of gold is from Himawari No Okoku! It’s worth my entire pharmacy!” 

“ _H-Huh!? Ah, really?!_ ” Sugawara asked with a nervous laugh, motioning for the hidden prince to get ready to run, “ _My, I wonder what kind of money my cousin is making! Now, we must be on our way, so if you’ll excuse us! Shou, let’s go!_ ”

After Hinata gave a quick nod, unable to look the man behind the counter in the eye, the two boys had then dashed out of the pharmacy, Sugawara holding the medicine and thermometer Hinata had picked out with a grin.

“Hah, good thing we got out before he became suspicious! Right, Sugawara-san?”

“Yeah!”

“Thank you for today!”

“What’re you talking about, Hinata? I'm just helping you out, as you did for me yesterday!” 

* * *

“ ** _Oh my, Yachi-chan! You have such wonderful flowers, as usual!_** ” A woman exclaimed, gasping in awe.

Within the center of Jikochuu, there was a very large flower cart vendor with a sign hanging from the top called ‘ _Hitoka Flowers_ ’; as one walked by such a shop, you couldn't help but stare at the bold, almost seemingly impossible colours the many flowers had.  They were neatly assorted in alphabetical order, cards with their names and symbolic meanings placed in front of them.

“Ahaha, thank you so much! The batches of betony flowers were freshly picked this morning!” A particular voice said with undoubted shyness.

The owner of Hitoka Flowers was a young commoner girl, Hitoka Yachi. With her short, blonde hair, she stood in front of the wagon, currently holding a few purple betony flowers which were softly pressed against the yellow apron she wore.

“So what do these betony flowers represent?” The woman inquired with a smile, pointing at the plants the girl currently held.

“Ah, yes! T-These flowers represent surprise! An unexpected occurrence happening to oneself!”

“Oh! Maybe you’ll have the surprise of your life, Yachi-chan!”

“ _A romantic surprise, perhaps!_ ” Another regular customer added on in suggestion with a cheeky smile.

“Haha, a mere commoner like me doesn’t lead such an exciting lifestyle…unfortunately...” Yachi couldn’t help but reply, laughing nervously.

“My, my! Now don’t say such things! We will be back later on this afternoon, so we’re reserving the roses, okay?”

“Ah—ye-yes! Thank you very much for your purchase!”

After the two of her regular customers had left, Yachi couldn't help but sigh in relief; human contact scared her sometimes. As she crouched down to place the flowers she held within their respectful batch, she let out a sigh.

‘ _An unexpected surprise, huh?_ ’

The girl then shook her head in realization, patting her cheeks with a pout.

‘ _C’mon, Yachi! You can do it! Just sell a few more flowers, then you’re done for today!_ ’

The girl then stood up and walked a short distance away from the flower cart vendor, stretching for a prolonged amount of time.

It was in that short moment of tranquillity and relaxation that she was tackled to the floor by a hooded figure wearing a cloak.

When the two had made contact with the ground, Yachi let out a wince of pain; she then abruptly looked up to see it was a boy slightly taller than her with wild orange hair who had ran into her.

After staring for a few seconds, she let a short ‘ah!’ escape from her mouth, instead of a blood curdling scream.

“ ** _Y-Your Highness!?_** ” She whispered discreetly.

As busy as Jikochuu was, the many people didn't seem to care about the two and their collision, only sending nano-second lasting glances at the two.

‘ _Guess this kingdom really lives up to its name, huh?_ ’ She couldn't help but think.

“Ouch, ouch, ouch… ** _ah!_** ” Hinata looked up at the girl in front of him in shock.

“M-My, I’m so sorr---“

"C'mon, Hinata! Hurry!"

“ ** _Ah, s_ _orry, but I really need to go!_** ” The prince interrupted apologetically, bringing the hood over his head and jumping up, running off.

“O—of course…” The girl said cautiously, waving ever so slightly.

After finally absorbing what had just happened, she then blinked out of her daze and jumped up, causing the commoners passing by to jump in surprise; running over to her shop, the girl's face was filled with terror as she stared at the betony flowers.

“ _My flowers…_ ” She said to herself, “ _AREN’T CURSED, ARE THEY?! AH, WHAT DO I DO!? WHAT IF THE BATCH OF CHRYSANTHEMUMS I ORDERED KILL ME?! THEY REPRESENT DEATH!_ "

* * *

“Okay, let me get this straight.” Kageyama pinched the bridge of his nose with a wince, “You...snuck out of the castle with Sugawara-san to get me a thermometer and some medicine, and you just grabbed the first thing that resembled a thermometer first glance!?” He snapped, speaking each word as though he was tasting poison.  
  
“Y-Yeah….b-but look, at least you still have the medicine to make you better! That’s more important, right?” Hinata offered with a nervous grin, holding his hands out to present the bag of medicine in the elder boy's lap.

“AFTER PUTTING A PREGNANCY TEST IN MY MOUTH, I DON'T THINK SO.” Kageyama spat as he sat up in his bed, pointing at the boy, “You've probably purchased the wrong type of medicine, too...” He added on with a fatigued sigh, covering his eyes as his head hung low.

Hinata then began twirling his thumbs nervously as he bit down on his lip.

“S-Sorry…” He muttered, “But I really did make sure with the medicine…getting it correct, I mean…”

There was a while of silence as Kageyama looked up at the boy with a frown, inspecting each and every mannerism he was currently putting on display.

‘ _He seemed to have been sweating due to the dampness of his hair…so he ran?_ ’ The soon to be king thought, raising an eyebrow as his arms were crossed, ‘ _And that cloak is probably Sugawara-san's, so he's not just some idiot who waltzed into the kingdom…he thought and took precaution.._ ’

“Well…thank you anyway…I mean, you’re a dumbass and you left my side…but it’s obvious you wanted to return the favour and make me better, so...”

The shorter prince looked at Kageyama in surprise.

“ _You just said—_ “

“ ** _I know what I just said, Dumbass Hinata!_** ”


	5. The Baker

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> …okay so I can explain.
> 
> I can’T EXPLAIN FKFDHSKJSDLDS;;//
> 
> Thing is, I’ve literally lacked all motivation for this fic after a while, given that I was making constant changes to the chapters, and merging some of them together for a longer length – that, and, the timeline in the fic totally confused me, and I LITERALLY LOST ALL OF MY IDEAS FOR THIS FIC WHICH I SEEMED TO HAVE ACCIDENTALLY (?) DELETED ;;; 
> 
> ALSO, I'm currently doing my final exams, so another update may not be possible for a while (we're talking a month or two, tops) ;_; I literally *battled* my writers block when it came to this chapter, so you may feel as though it's kinda short (?)
> 
> HOWEVER, DESPITE ALL OF THAT, I’VE PRETTY MUCH REBOOTED THE CHAPTERS, AND RE-WRITTEN THE IDEAS, SO PLEASE DO ENJOY THIS VERY LATE UPDATE!!! I’VE REALLY MISSED WRITING KAGEHINA W/ SERVANT SUGA!!! 
> 
> *NOTE: IT IS ADVISED TO START THIS FIC FROM THE BEGINNING!!!*:･ﾟ✧*
> 
> PLEASE ENJOY, DEAR READERS, Y'ALL DESERVE THIS!!!!

“So? _How is His Highness feeling?"_

“Better than before – I think the medicine I picked out for him is working...he’s already fast asleep.”

“That puts my heart at ease - at least now we know that he should recover by tomorrow.”

“But Sugawara-San, I still managed to anger him…I can’t help but feel bad, and think I’ve added to his stress…He’s meant to be revising for his exams, but…truthfully, he went out of his way to help me out yesterday…and to think this is how I repaid him, as hilarious as it was...”

“… _Hinata_ …”

“I know I can determine if his temperature’s getting better with just my hand...I mean, I do so with Natsu _all_ the time when she gets sick – plus, it's to be expected to know these things! Not just as royalty, but as a human being! But I just - I just thought that because it was the first time Bakageyama had caught a cold in years, it might be serious…so I wanted to be extra careful _…_ ”

Prince Hinata Shouyou couldn’t help but trail off with his point and stare down at the chequered marble flooring, whilst himself and the servant were stood outside of the soon to be king’s bedchamber yet again.

Of course, the halls within their range of vision were empty when it came to spotting the other servants, although they could hear a few of them speaking faintly – hence the reason why the two spoke quietly to one another.

Sugawara stared down at the boy worriedly, lips parted in an attempt to say something.

A few seconds of silent thought had passed, and the older boy pursed his lips as looked over at soon to be King Kageyama Tobio’s bedchamber door, before turning his head back to look down at Hinata with a smile.

“You know, Hinata…I was actually listening behind the door the entire time,” He brought up sheepishly, scratching his cheek lightly with a finger – of course, the prince blinked in surprise at the revelation, looking up at the older servant whilst his lips were parted, “Kageyama thanked you for wanting to return the favour - that’s amazing! _You’re_ amazing!" Sugawara continued on with a beam, holding his hands out for emphasis - the elder boy’s face then abruptly flushed in embarrassment at addressing the soon to be king informally in front of the prince.

Hinata quickly tensed up, feeling his face heat up.

“N-No, it was nothing, really!” The shorter boy replied through frantic laughter, constantly turning his head left and right to face anywhere but in Sugawara’s direction, and scratching his head bashfully.

Sugawara couldn’t help but smile, hands now on his hips.

“Hey, Hinata, in this kingdom, would you say that His Highness is the one who’s left the biggest impression on you? To the point where, in terms of ability and knowledge, he’s the best to you? And is worthy of your respect and help?” The elder boy carried on in question, still smiling as he held his index finger up.

Hinata blinked a few times at the taller guy, cocking an eyebrow in confusion, and tilting his head – after a few moments of processing the question, and understanding what the servant was asking, the shorter prince tensed up as he clenched his teeth and fists. He turned his head away rigidly whilst growling in a strained manner, eyes squeezed shut.

Sugawara noticed that the prince was attempting that of a nod, yet his reflexes were restraining him from fully doing so.

‘ _He sure doesn’t like to admit it…_ ’

"Well, just trust me - I don’t think I’ve ever heard His Highness say those words so genuinely!”   
Sugawara reassured with a mischievous grin, before blinking in recognition, waving his arms around nervously, “That is, uhm—my point is--t- _to have torn down Kageyama’s defensive wall after knowing him for such a short amount of time, even if it’s just a little bit, is amazing in itself!_ ”

Hinata stared at Sugawara silently for a few seconds, lips parted in surprise, causing the older boy to internally scold his informal way of speaking in regards to the soon to be king yet again.

With a couple of blinks, Hinata brought his clenched fist up to his chest, taking what the boy was saying into account, feeling his eyes sparkle, a wide smile appearing on his face.

“...Thank you, Sugawara-San...I don’t know what we would have done without you…” The shorter boy replied humbly, bowing down. 

Sugawara instantly tensed up at the boy committing such an action.

“Ah, Hinata, raise your head, raise your head!” He replied frantically, waving his arms around – it seemed to be a habit whenever Hinata was involved, “ _Honestly, it’s not a problem!_ ” He added on in a flustered manner, causing Hinata to grin up at him, “I’ll make sure to be the one who brings your lunches up to the bedchamber, so you can both rest assured, okay?" The elder boy asked, head tilted in worry, "Just take care of him for now, if you can. I’m sure I’ll get scolded by the other servants if I don’t show my face in the kitchens and laundry rooms.” He informed, momentarily patting Hinata's shoulder in reassurance whilst smiling.

“Roger! Thanks again, Sugawara-San!” The prince beamed, nodding and saluting simultaneously in recognition of the request.

Sending the shorter boy a small wave, to which it was returned in a boisterous manner, Sugawara turned himself around and began to walk off, sighing in relief at the fact that there was now one less worry, given that Kageyama supposedly felt better.

After witnessing Sugawara's disappearance behind the bend in the corridor, Hinata lowered his arm with a sigh, turning himself around and entering the bedchamber discreetly once again.

" _Please feel better, please, please, **please** feel better…_ ” The short prince prayed silently with a wince, closing the door behind him, and making extra sure not to disturb the soon to be king's sickly sleep. 

Making his way over to the chair by Kageyama's bedside, hands behind his back, Hinata stopped by the window and saw that the curtains and drapes remained to block out the sun's rays of light -  a couple of strands could be spotted, managing to sneak into the room at the bottom of the curtains, but with the thick, navy material fluttering silently back and forth, there was a small breeze managing to make its way through the open windows.

Hinata could hear the approach of horses pulling along carriages outside and in front of the castle, with quite a lot of servants speaking to one another - the conversations couldn't be made out all to clearly, but Hinata managed to figure out that it was something to do with the arrival of some imported items from the other kingdoms.

Redirecting his attention away from the windows, curtains, and drapes, the boy turned himself around to stare down at Kageyama's sleeping face - the soon to be king had pulled the multiple covers all the way up to his neck, seemingly tucked in far too snug to the younger prince.  
  
Whilst taking a seat on the chair, eyes still glued to the elder prince’s sleeping face, Hinata wondered why the guy had even bothered to take his pyjama shirt off.  
  
‘ _He could have just slept without the covers or something…_ ’ The prince thought to himself through squinted eyes, ‘ _This idiot’s prone to becoming even sicker now…_ ’  
  
As Kageyama’s soft, stable breathing reassured the orange-haired prince to some extent, Hinata couldn’t help but wonder if the soon to be king was strained in some way – the taller boy was lying flat on his back yet again, and his shoulders didn’t seem to have relaxed themselves. With a cocked eyebrow, Hinata tilted his head, his elbow resting on the arm rest of the chair, a hand on his cheek.  
  
He sat in the borderline silence for what seemed like an eternity, thinking about all sorts of things in particular - his status within Jikochuu, his family and what they were currently doing, the girl whom he had accidentally crashed into, keeping his apology short (at least, he hoped he had apologised - it had all happened so fast, after all), and Kageyama's current health.   
  
As far as Hinata knew, being royalty was more often a curse rather than a blessing - he let out a dejected sigh, wondering what else he could do to make it up to the taller boy. Well, Kageyama _had_ thanked him for the sentiment, but Hinata still felt a sense of guilt, deep in the pit of his stomach.  
  
Steadily, and extremely slowly, Hinata had perked up ever so slightly as he leaned his body forward, closer towards where Kageyama lay - outstretching his hand delicately, he placed his palm on the older boy's forehead to see that it had cooled down significantly.   
  
Instantly retracting his hand, Hinata slumped back into the plump chair with a sigh of utter relief.  
  
"Thank gosh..." He airily said to himself, feeling his tense body now relax itself.

It was as though all of the guilt he had felt not even five seconds ago had disappeared instantly.  
  
As soon as he had spoken, Hinata's eyes glanced over at Kageyama's face for what seemed like the 100th time - it was only this time that he had realised how jet-black the older prince's hair truly was. His eyelashes were rather short, but curved perfectly, too. If he fixed up on his attitude, Hinata guessed he would be pretty popular with the princesses within the other kingdoms. 

Well, actually, guessing aside, Hinata didn’t know a thing about Kageyama.

At such a realisation, the shorter boy couldn’t help but tilt his head back to stare up at the ceiling - for all Hinata knew, Kageyama could already be popular with the princesses.

 _‘Acting all charming with them…while he acts like I’m a dumbass…’_ Hinata thought through squinted eyes.

It was a thought which irritated him; especially through the word ‘acting’.

Hinata liked to think of himself as a person whom many liked – both royalty and commoners alike – social divide, class, hierarchy, none of it really mattered to him.

To Hinata, Kageyama was the polar opposite – he hadn’t a clue if the subjects of Jikochuu had gotten used to their prince’s egocentric persona, but all in all, it was a huge shock for Hinata upon arrival – the shorter boy had dealt with a few difficult characters in the past, but in Kageyama’s case, it was one of a kind.

Hinata knew, however, that he had been subjected to Kageyama’s kindness first-hand, even if the taller boy was filled with far too much pride to admit such a thing.

 _'He did say thank you…so it’s a start.’_ Hinata couldn’t help but think, now smiling goofily to himself.

The boy then stared at the sleeping prince, proceeding to lean forward once again, resting his elbows on his thighs, and his head on his palms.

And just like that, Kageyama’s eyes opened slowly – as though he was cautious of what would await him upon waking up. When the boy’s ocean blue eyes met the shorter prince’s light brown eyes, Hinata couldn’t help but blink in surprise and part his lips.

“Oh, you’re awake?” The shorter boy asked, leaning back once again – it was a dumb question, he knew that, but chances were that Kageyama would fall asleep again in a few seconds.

Kageyama couldn’t help but let out a prolonged groan as he stretched his body out, rubbing one eye with a balled up fist in the process.

“Cold…” He muttered, “My shirt…” He added on, slowly sitting up. Hinata instantly stood up in a frantic search.

“Oh, right, shirt!” The shorter boy exclaimed, practically jumping onto the bed (much to Kageyama’s dismay), and scrambling around the taller prince’s multiple bed sheets in an attempt to find what he needed.

Kageyama couldn’t help but kiss his teeth and tilt his head.

“Why is it that every time you’re on my bed, I’m shirtless?” He asked lowly, arms now folded, causing Hinata to let out a laugh and grin at him.

“Obviously because I’m so irresistible!” The shorter boy replied.

Kageyama instantly threw his pillow at Hinata’s face – of course, this caused the shorter to let out a squawk of surprise.

“Shut up, Dumbass.” Kageyama stated simply as he rolled his eyes.

“I think I’m getting a nosebleed!” Hinata whined out, before erupting into loud laughter as he threw the pillow back at Kageyama, much to the soon to be king’s surprise.

After a few moments of silence, Kageyama once again rolled his eyes, but couldn’t help the growing smile on his face upon seeing Hinata’s face go from fear, to raising an eyebrow at him whilst smirking.

“Alright, you mischievous Dumbass, you asked for it.” The elder prince stated.

And so, a royal pillow fight ensued, with Kageyama’s silk, very expensive pyjama shirt forgotten about entirely, and his bed a total mess.

* * *

The laughter wouldn’t die down – as Hinata’s bright voice filled up the usually-silent air within Kageyama’s bedchamber, the soon to be king had found himself feeling a lot better, in comparison to before.

With his slight, silent pants being due to his pillow with the shorter prince, Kageyama couldn’t help but throw his body backwards to lie back down once again.

 _‘It was almost like this Dumbass’ medicine has a magical effect on me or something…’_ He thought to himself in a slight surprise, turning his head to stare at Hinata. 

Of course, the shorter prince was rolling around on the bed, making an even bigger mess of the sheets whilst clutching his stomach.

“Alright, alright, Dumbass – it wasn’t _that_ funny.” Kageyama insisted, clearly unamused.

“But---But!” Hinata found himself interrupted with his sentence once again, as the laughter practically poured out of his mouth – he couldn’t help but throw his legs up, and kick the air repeatedly.

“Glad to see that you’re enjoying an ill person’s suffering.” Kageyama stated bitterly.

“Aw, c’mon, Kageyama-kun! You know I’m just kidding! But I _did_ win the battle with that headshot - you’ve gotta gimmie that, _at least_!” Hinata replied with a beam, sitting up and shuffling over to the soon to be king’s side, before lying down next to him.

“What?” Kageyama asked, turning his head with a cocked eyebrow, rather taken aback and suspicious by the shorter prince’s action.

“Found your shirt.” Hinata stated with a grin, head turned to look at the boy as he placed it over Kageyama’s face.

“Oh, thanks.” Kageyama replied with a slight muffle, proceeding to sit up and wear it.

After buttoning his shirt up, Kageyama couldn’t help but let out a slight sigh, turning his head to see Hinata smiling at him brightly.

“What, you creepy Dumbass?! Stop starin’ at me!” He called out, motioning to throw one of the pillows next to him yet again.

“But it’s the second time you’ve thanked me today!” Hinata replied in amusement, and slight urgency, “It’s almost like we’re friends or something!”

Kageyama stopped all movement as his eyes grew wide.

It got slightly harder to breathe all of a sudden, and there was a twitch in the soon to be king’s heart.

“Is…is it _really_ as easy as that?” Kageyama asked, far too quietly than he would have liked to admit – he was lucky that, for a Dumbass, Hinata still had impressive hearing abilities.

“Hm? What is?” Hinata asked, proceeding to sit up and tilt his head with a smile.

 _‘Too bad he’s still a Dumbass.’_  

“Becoming friends with someone you’ve only known for a day or two.” Kageyama emphasised.

“Well…” Hinata paused for a few moments, staring up at the ceiling, before looking back into Kageyama’s eyes with a nod, “ _Yeah_.”

“You make it sound easier than easy.” Kageyama stated with a cocked eyebrow.

“Geez, I don’t know - what are we then, _enemies?_ ” Hinata asked.

“No…you’re too much of a Dumbass for that – you wouldn’t stand a chance against me…” Kageyama replied, now in genuine thought as he held his chin.

“Fine, rivals!” Hinata stated in finality, “You, Prince Kageyama of Jikochuu, are my rival!”

“Yeah, let’s go with that.” Kageyama replied with a nod, “And you, Dumbass Hinata of…”

“… _’Himawari No Okoku’_!” Hinata snapped in disbelief.

“Yeah, whatever – are my underling.” Kageyama finished off with a snigger, arms folded once again.

“The hell I am, Bakageyama!” Hinata replied, throwing a pillow at the taller boy’s head, “Anyway, you said you had studied my kingdom, so how could you forget its name above everything else?!”

“Watch it, Dumbass – I may feel better, but y’never know when these illnesses can come back!” Kageyama warned, completely ignoring Hinata’s question.

“The medicine I picked out did the job, so don’t sweat it!” Hinata assured, this time being the one to roll his eyes, “Honestly, to think that you’ve never been ill before.”

“Whatever.” Kageyama retorted shortly.

With nothing else to say, the two boys sat opposite each other in what seemed like an eternal silence, sending a quick glance in each other’s direction every once in a while. That is, until their surprised gazes had met at the same time, causing them to jump slightly.

“Hey, Dumbass Hinata." Kageyama addressed, shifting his uncomfortable position slightly.

“Hm? What is it, Bakageyama?” Hinata asked, looking up at the boy.

“I’m hungry.” The elder prince stated.

“Ah, come to think of it, me too!” Hinata replied in exclamation, before pausing, “Oh, but Sugawara-san said he’d be the one bringing our food up!” He added on with a beam.

“And just how long ago _was_ this? It’s already sunset – I think lunch is far gone.” Kageyama mumbled, “They’re probably preparing dinner now, so we should go down.”

“Or we could refrain from the fancy atmosphere, and eat up here in your room!” Hinata suggested brightly, his tone filled with hope.

“ _No_.” Kageyama replied flatly.

“Please.” Hinata shot back.

“No.”

“Kageyama, c’mon, _please?_ ”

“No, because knowing you, you’ll make a mess of my room with your etiquette!”

“I-It’s only ‘cause of the plateau----… _whatever_ , that I reacted in such a way! Plus, it was my first time eating in an unfamiliar setting, so cut me a bit of slack!” Hinata whined, sending the boy a pleading look as he stuck his bottom lip out.

After a few moments of silent contemplation, Kageyama let out a sigh of exasperation, frowning at the shorter boy.

“Fine, but if you drop _even_ a _crumb_ \---“

Hinata’s face got the point across far too clearly to Kageyama.

“I promise, I won’t!” The younger boy insisted, unable to help the grin on his face, beginning to roll around on the bed once again, “Yay, food, food!” He called out.

“I’d better ring them, then.” Kageyama muttered, more to himself if anything, as he motioned to get up.

However, the two princes then paused in shock when they heard the door open, turning their heads cautiously.

Upon realising who it was, they couldn’t help but let out a simultaneous sigh of relief.

As Sugawara walked through, pushing a silver, shimmering food trolley, the scent of the food overwhelmed the younger boys with desire. Layers related to both lunch and dinner resided on both platters and plates, although the deserts had caught both Hinata and Kageyama’s attention first.

“I’m awfully sorry for the wait, Your Highness’!” Sugawara beamed slightly, smiling as he closed the door behind himself, and bowed – he then took a lid off of one of the silver platters, “Today it’s a feast, due to my inability of bringing lunch on time! The chefs have taken extra care in making something you will both like!”

“Thank you, Sugawara-san!” Hinata squawked out, eyes wide in shock at what the elder servant had just presented, “Woah, meat buns and tamago gake gohan! How did they know it was my favourite?!” He asked, rushing up to the boy and invading his personal space severely, resulting in Kageyama to kiss his teeth, and Sugawara to let out a nervous laugh.

“You deserve it for waiting so patiently, Hinata,” The elder servant replied, before turning to Kageyama with a smile – the soon to be king couldn’t help but jump slightly in surprise when their eyes met, “Your Highness, we’ve also made you your favourite pork curry with egg on top.” Sugawara informed, “Also yoghurt for dessert, and fresh milk to drink.” He added on.

“…Thanks…Su…Sugawara-san…” Kageyama replied quietly, carefully choosing what to say, much to Hinata’s amusement.

After not receiving a reply from the servant, Kageyama realised that Sugawara hadn’t heard a word, since he was far too preoccupied with picking out the two prince’s desired meals.

Of course, Hinata couldn’t help but turn his head to look over at Kageyama with raised eyebrows, hiding his laughter behind his hand. Kageyama instantly sent him a glare, resulting in Hinata to jump, and instinctively hide behind the taller servant.

“Huh? What’s wrong, Hinata?” Sugawara asked in surprise.

“N-Nothing,” Hinata stuttered out in reply, unable to take his eyes off of Kageyama with a frown, who was smirking in amusement as his arms were folded, “But Sugawara-san, I want you to sit with us!”

“E-eh?” The elder boy asked in a stutter, before letting out an airy laugh, tilting his head, “H-Hinata, you know I can’t…It would disturb His Highness…”

“No, I’m fine with it, actually.” Kageyama stated simply, causing Sugawara to widen his eyes in shock.

“W-What---seriously?!” Hinata asked the soon to be king - not even awaiting an answer, the shorter prince couldn’t help but beam and smile up at the elder servant, “You can have some of this food, too! It’s far too much for me and Bakageyama, after all!”

“Y-Your Highness’, I couldn’t possibly…” Sugawara began meekly, face flushing in embarrassment, not knowing what to do with himself (or his hands for that matter), and instead, staring down at his neat, black shoes.

“Are you going to make us wait?” Kageyama asked, “Because I would really like some food right now.” He informed.

Sugawara couldn’t help but jump, quickly shaking his head at the prince.

“Looks delicious!” Hinata couldn’t help but beam, skipping over to the bed – after jumping to sit on it cross-legged once again (much to Kageyama’s dismay), Sugawara was trailing behind with the food trolley sheepishly.

As Hinata proceeded to pat the space next to him, urging the elder servant to take a seat, the trolley was placed by the side of the bed, and Kageyama couldn’t help but let out a yawn – even after such a sleep, he was still somewhat tired.

The boy then blinked in surprise to see Sugawara sat there, presenting the plate in front of him, and Hinata already scoffing his food down after a quick ‘thanks for the food!’- far too audibly for someone of royal blood, Kageyama couldn’t help but think.

“Please do eat, Your Highness.” Sugawara urged.

“I could say the same thing to you.” The soon to be king replied as he took his plate from the boy’s hands, quickly beginning his meal, currently not caring for etiquette, given the circumstances.

_Yup, like he thought, pork curry was the best._

“T-Then, if you really insist…th-thank you for the food…” Sugawara said, unable to look the boy in the eye as he took a small plate of cake.

* * *

As the sky grew dimmer in colour, laughter had once again resounded throughout Kageyama’s bedchamber – however, from two voices this time – a shorter prince, and an elder servant.

Kageyama stared at the two boys silently whilst drinking his glass of milk – it was a strange thought, seeing the two get on so well so shortly after meeting – Hinata was making huge, wild gestures, with Sugawara indulging him through friendly smiles.

The prince of Jikochuu couldn’t help but feel out of place in a way - it was a refreshingly social sight – something which Kageyama had no clue how to handle.

Of course, Sugawara couldn’t help but laugh behind his hand, before blinking in realisation, sending the boy a slightly worried look.

“Your Highness, are you alright?” He inquired, resulting in Kageyama to quickly finish his cup of milk with a gulp – of course, Hinata gaped at the sight, parting his lips with a small ‘ _woah_ ’.

After letting out a sigh, the elder prince placed his glass on top of one of the many empty plates, and leaned against his pillows.

‘ _Trust Hinata to have an insatiable appetite_.’ The boy thought to himself.

“I’m alright. Just wondering how this Dumbass still has the energy to talk after such a feast.” He replied, resulting in the shorter prince to roll his sleeves up with a _‘what was that, bastard?! Y-You wanna go?!’_ , and Sugawara to let out a weak laugh, before pausing.

“Your Highness, are you sure it’s alright with us being here? Would you like some sleep now? Or more food?” He offered.

“Geez, Sugawara-san, you shouldn’t indulge Bakageyama here!” Hinata said, leaning back on the bed, resulting in Kageyama to cock an eyebrow.

“I’m the prince, Dumbass – it’s his _job_ to do so.” The elder boy retorted.

“Still, there’s a limit.” Hinata replied bluntly, eyes closed, and arms behind his head.

“I’m not asking for the sake of my job, Your Highness,” Sugawara brought up, “It’s because I genuinely worry about you.”

Kageyama stopped for a moment, eyes widening at such words.

“Oh…Well, tha...thank you, Sugawara-san.”  He muttered, staring down at the bed sheets.

“You’re very welcome, Your Highness.” The elder boy replied with a smile, proceeding to cross his legs over the bed, somewhat sceptical whilst doing so, and sending Kageyama small glances of caution.

“So, Sugawara-san, you not going home tonight?” Hinata suddenly asked.

“Oh, no, Your Highness – today I’m going to be sleeping in the castle.” Sugawara replied.

“How d’you decide when to go home, and when to stay the night?” The shorter prince asked.

“Every servant here has rotations regarding work, and two days off every week, Dumbass,” Kageyama explained, rolling his eyes, “Your servants must be the same back in Himawari No Okoku, surely.” He added on.

“Mm…Not sure – never really pay attention to that kinda stuff.” Hinata replied casually.

“ _Figures_.” Kageyama muttered, rolling his eyes.

The taller prince’s eyes then caught sight of his favourite desert – well, one of them, anyway.

“By the way, Your Highness’…” Sugawara began, “ _I must warn you both to be very careful whilst roaming the halls during the night..._ ” He informed.

A tense atmosphere enveloped the bedchamber all of a sudden, and Hinata’s eyes shot open before he slowly sat up, eyes glued to Sugawara 

“W-…” Hinata quickly gulped down, before continuing on, “ _What do you mean…?_ ” He inquired, the caution evident in his shaky voice alone.

“Many of the servants are reporting…well, let us say, some—uh… _strange_ occurrences,” Sugawara explained, somewhat reluctantly, “I just thought you should both know, for the sake of your safety…”

“I think we’re alright –“ Kagyama stated, folding his arms, “After all, why would Mother and Father dump this Dumbass on me if living here wasn’t safe?” He added on in question, causing Hinata to scrunch his face up at him.

“No—well, Their Highness’ aren’t aware of this, as it only started up…” Sugawara trailed off for a moment, looking up at the ceiling, and discreetly counting on his fingers in thought, before looking between the two princes, “Around six days ago.” He stated simply.

Hinata couldn’t help but tense up.

“Have you two heard of _‘The Baker’_?” The elder servant asked, rather lowly, “He’s mentioned in many of the servants’ conversations these days.”

“N-N-Nah, never heard of him! Have you, Bakageyama?” Hinata inquired curiously in exclamation, quickly turning his head to look up at the boy.

“Nope, dunno a thing.” Kageyama stated in a muffle as he finally grabbed and shoved the blueberry muffin he had been eyeing for a few minutes into his mouth.

Hinata couldn’t help but squint his eyes and let out a short laugh at the sight.

“Well, of course, we servants keep such things between ourselves.” Sugawara explained, looking over at Kageyama with a pause, “But… “ He stared down at the sheets, before looking between the two princes, “Legend tells of a baker who visits this very castle...” The servant began in explanation, “And he isn’t employed by their Highness’, the King and Queen…”

“An intruding baker? That’s preposterous,” Kageyama stated with a cocked eyebrow, “The guards are meant to be doing their duty, and keeping people out.”

“ _Will you just let him speak, Bakageyama?!_ ” Hinata snapped defensively, face growing paler by the second. Kageyama rolled his eyes in response with a short nod, urging Sugawara to continue, who let out a nervous laugh.

“That’s what no one can understand, Your Highness - he somehow manages to sneak past the guards every time.” Sugawara explained, “Lately, we’ve been finding baskets of fresh bread on the kitchen counters – no one knows where they’re coming from, and all of our bakers are insisting that they have nothing to do with it. Of course, no one dares to eat it, for we fear it has been poisoned. We just throw them out; only to see a fresh batch of them ready on the counter the next day…I believe that this man is not a baker at all, but rather…”

Hinata couldn’t help but let out an audible gulp, clutching on the fabric of his jumper as he waited in anticipation - Kageyama stared at the shorter boy with half-lidded eyes, before redirecting his attention towards Sugawara.

“ ** _A ghost._** ”

_Silence._

_Tension._

_Until…_

“ _Impossible. Such things don’t exist._ ” Kageyama stated bluntly.

Sugawara couldn’t help but laugh as he scratched the back of his head.

“Ahahah, you could tell, Your Highness?” He asked sheepishly, “I’m awful at these kinds of stories, so do pardon me!”

“It’s not you – I just know that ghosts don’t exist.” Kageyama replied simply, shrugging.

“H—hey, they could, you know!” Hinata snapped defensively, frowning up at the elder prince.

“What…don’t tell me you’re scared, Dumbass Hinata?” Kageyama asked in disbelief, looking down at the boy with a hopeful smirk.

Hinata tensed up slightly, before looking away stubbornly.

“O-of course not!” He replied in a stutter.

“Don’t worry, Hinata, it’s just a silly story I made up!” Sugawara assured with a smile, “Although it was extremely stale, I must admit.”

“I-I know that much, Sugawara-san!” The shorter boy whined out, “But maybe---just a little, _tiny_ ,  ** _tiny_** bit…I may have believed you…”

Kageyama couldn't help but splutter out into laughter.


End file.
